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®l)cologta  ^crmanica. 


OTRONG  Son  of  God,  Immortal  Love, 
^  Whom  we,  that  have  not  feen  thy  face, 

By  faith,  and  faith  alone  embrace, 
Believing  where  we  cannot  prove. 

Thou  feemeft  human  and  divine. 

The  higheft,  holicft  manhood  Thou  j 
Our  wills  are  ours,  we  know  not  how. 

Our  wills  are  ours  to  make  them  Thine. 

O  Living  Will  that  fhalt  endure. 

When  all  that  feems  ftiall  fufFer  (hock. 
Rife  in  the  fpiritual  Rock, 

Flow  through  our  deeds  and  make  them  pure. 

That  we  may  lift  from  out  the  duft, 

A  voice  as  unto  him  that  hears, 
A  cry  above  the  conquered  years. 
To  one  that  with  us  works,  and  truft 

With  faith  that  comes  of  self-control 
The  truths  that  never  can  be  proved. 
Until  we  clofe  with  all  we  loved 

And  all  we  flow  from,  foul  in  foul. 


Tennyson. 


^Ijcologia  ©ertnamm: 

lUtjicl)  fettcti)  forti)  man^  fair  Ctneaments  of 
irimne  Srntl),  anb  faitl]  ucrp  loftg 
ani  lords  tljlngs  tottcl)ing  a 
perfect  £ife. 

EDITED  BY  DR.  PFEIFFER  FROM  THE  ONLY 
COMPLETE  MANUSCRIPT  YET  KNOWN. 

TRANSLATED  FROM  THE  GERMAN  BY 

SUSANNA  WINKWORTH. 

With  a  PREFACE  by  the  Rev.  Charles  Kingsley, 
Reflor  of  Everfley,  and  a  LETTER  to  the  Tranflator 
by  the  Chevalier  Bunsen,  D  D.,  D.C.L.,  &c. 
And  an  Introduftion  by 
Profeffor  Calvin  E.  Stowe,  D.  D. 


ANDOVER : 

PRINTED  &  PUBLISHED  BY  W.  F.  DRAPER, 

at  his  Printing  Houfe,  Main  Street. 

BOSTON  : 

JOHN    P.    JEWETT   &  CO 
MDCCCLX. 


/ 


Entered,  according  to  A€t  of  Congrefs,  In  the  year  1855, 

BY  Warren  F.  Draper, 
in  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  Diftria  Court  of  the  Di&ii£i 
of  Maffachufetts. 


W.  F.  Jy  APER, 

Stereotyper    and  Printer, 

Andover. 


TO  THE  READER. 

For  the  evangelical  Chriftian  this 
little  work  needs  no  other  recommen- 
dation than  that  which  is  given  by 
Martin  Luther,  in  his  brief,  terfe,  and 
charadteriftic  preface  to  it  as  originally 
publiflied  by  him.  Amid  the  multi- 
tude of  theological  works  then  in  ex- 
iftence,  with  which  his  mind  had  been 
wearied  aftd  bewildered,  this  met  his 
eye  as  an  oalis  in  the  defert,  as  a  pre- 
cious lump  of  pure  gold  in  a  flag  of 
earth  and  flone.  It  fets  forth  the  ef- 
fential  principle  of  the  gofpel  in  its 
naked  fimplicity,  juft  as  it  is,  and  juft 
as  it  proves  itfelf  moft  acceptable  to 
every  foul  which  feels  its  need  of  fal- 
b 


vi 


Preface. 


vation  and  finds  that  falvation  in  Chrift 
alone. 

A.  fenfe  of  fin,  a  convidlion  of  deep 
depravity,  a  feeling  of  utter  helplefl*- 
nefs,  lies  at  the  foundation  of  all  ade- 
quate appreciation  of  the  gofpel.  In 
proportion  as  this  convidlion  and  feel- 
ing is  quick  and  frefli,  the  gofpel  is  life 
and  power;  in  proportion  as  it  is  faded 
and  indiftind:,  the  gofpel  becomes  pow- 
erlefs  and  lifelefs.  As  it  has  been 
juftly  faid  in  nervous,  idiomatic  Eng- 
lifh,  Well  eiiough  needs  no  help. 

Never  does  the  Chriftian,  taught  by 
the  Spirit,  feel  fo  utterly  fielplefs  as 
when  he  labors  in  earneft  to  fecure  his 
own  falvation  or  the  falvation  of  a  fel- 
low creature.  He  here  finds  obftacles 
which  God  alone  can  remove,  he  here 
encounters  a  labor  which  God  alone 
can  accompliili;  and  no  language  can 
fully  exprefs  his  own  feeling  of  his  own 


Preface. 


impotency,  and  of  the  unfpeakable 
worth  of  that  Saviour  who  is  able  to 
fave  to  the  uttermojl. 

The  great  value  and  intereft  of  the 
following  treatife  depends  on  the  vivid- 
nefs  and  entirenefs  with  which  it  holds 
thefe  ideas,  and  the  fingular  fimplicity, 
energy  and  clearnefs  with  which  it 
expreffes  them.  Man  never  becomes 
fpiritually  minded,  he  always  continues 
wordly,  until  he  has  finally  defpaired 
of  himfelf,  and  thrown  his  foul  wholly 
on  God  in  Chrift.  Then  he  can  tajle 
the  good  word  of  God,  and  the  powers  of 
the  world  to  come,  and  fee  that  the  Lord 
is  gracious;  and  foon  other  objefts  will 
have  no  glory  by  reafon  of  this  glory  that 
excelleth.  By  fuch  a  one  this  German 
Theology  will  be  relifhed  with  keeneft 
zeft  of  appetite;  and  while  to  others 
it  will  appear  dull,  old-fafhioned,  un- 
meaning and  myftical. 


viii 


Preface. 


In  this  day  of  the  outwardy  when  all 
that  is  phyfical  and  earthly  is  pufhing 
itfelf  forward  with  fuch  a  deafening, 
dazzling  rulh,  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  the 
inwardy  the  true  Chriftian  Hfcy  which 
is  hid  with  Chrijl  in  Gody  may  be  cher- 
ifhed  and  promoted  by  the  republica- 
tion of  a  tradl  which  was  in  fome  fenfe 
the  harbinger  of  the  Proteftant  Refor- 
mation, and  helped  to  create  in  the 
foul  of  Luther  that  mighty  inner  man, 
which  in  its  outer  developments  fhook 
the  world  to  its  centre  and  fnapped 
afunder  the  chains  that  Satan  had  been 
more  than  a  thoufand  years  in  forging. 

C.  E.  STOWE. 

Ando'uery  September  ist,  1855. 


PREFACE. 


^TpO  thofe  who  really  hunger  and 
thirft  after  righteoufnefs ;  and 
who  therefore  long  to  know  what 
righteoufnefs  is,  that  they  may  copy  it : 
To  thofe  who  long  to  be  freed,  not 
merely  from  the  punifhment  of  lin 
after  they  die,  but  from  fin  itfelf  while 
they  live  on  earth;  and  who  therefore 
wifh  to  know  what  fin  is,  that  they 
may  avoid  it:  To  thofe  who  wifh  to 
be  really  juftified  by  faith,  by  being 
made  jufl:  perfons  by  faith;  and  who 
cannot  fatisfy  either  their  confciences 
or  reafons  by  fancying  that  God  looks 


X  Preface. 


on  them  as  right,  when  they  know 
themfelves  to  be  wrong,  or  that  the 
God  of  truth  will  ftoop  to  fid:ions  (mif- 
called  forenfic)  which  would  be  con- 
fidered  falfe  and  unjufl:  in  any  human 
court  of  law:  To  thofe  who  cannot 
help  trufting  that  union  with  Chrift 
muft  be  fomething  real  and  fubftantial, 
and  not  merely  a  metaphor,  and  a  flower 
of  rhetoric:  To  thofe,  laftly,  who  can- 
not help  feeing  that  the  do6lrine  of 
Chrift  in  every  man,  as  the  Indwelling 
Word  of  God,  The  Light  who  lights 
every  one  who  comes  into  the  world, 
is  no  peculiar  tenet  of  the  Quakers, 
but  one  which  runs  through  the  whole 
of  the  Old  and  New  Teftaments,  and 
without  which  they  would  both  be  un- 
intelligible, juft  as  the  fame  dodlrine 
runs  through  the  whole  hiftory  of  the 
Early  Church  for  the  firft  two  centu- 
ries, and  is  the  only  explanation  of 


Preface. 


xi 


them; — To  all  thefe  this  noble  little 
book  will  recommend  itfelf;  and  may- 
God  blefs  the  reading  of  it  to  them, 
and  to  all  others  no  lefs. 

As  for  its  orthodoxy;  to  evangeli- 
cal" Chriftians  Martin  Luther's  own 
words  ought  to  be  sufficient  warrant. 
For  he  has  faid  that  he  owed  more  to 
this  than  to  any  other  book,  faving  the 
Bible  and  Saint  Auguftine.  Thofe  on 
the  other  hand,  to  whom  Luther's  name 
does  not  feem  a  fufficient  guarantee, 
muft  recoiled:,  that  the  Author  of  this 
book  was  a  knight  of  the  Teutonic 
order;  one  who  confidered  himfelf,and 
was  confidered,  as  far  as  we  know,  by 
his  contemporaries,  an  orthodox  mem- 
ber of  the  Latin  Church;  that  his 
friends  and  difciples  were  principally 
monks  exercifing  a  great  influence  in 
the  Catholic  Church  of  their  days;  that 
one  of  their  leaders  was  appointed  by 


xii 


Preface. 


Pope  John  XXII.  Nuncio,  and  over- 
feer  of  the  Dominican  order  in  Ger- 
many; and  that  during  the  hundred 
and  feventy  years  which  elapfed  be- 
tween the  writing  of  this  book  and  the 
Reformation,  it  incurred  no  ecclefiafti- 
cal  cenfure  whatfoever,  in  generations 
which  were  but  too  fond  of  making 
men  offenders  for  a  word. 

Not  that  I  agree  with  all  which  is 
to  be  found  in  this  book.  It  is  for  its 
noble  views  of  righteoufnefs  and  of  fin 
that  I  honour  it,  and  rejoice  at  feeing 
it  publifhed  in  Englifh,  now  for  the 
firft  time  from  an  edition  bafed  on  the 
perfed:  manufcript.  But  even  in  thofe 
points  in  which  I  fhould  like  to  fee  it 
altered,  I  am  well  aware  that  there  are 
ftrong  authorities  againft  me.  The 
very  expreffion,  for  injftance,  which 
moft  ftartles  me,  ^^vergottety"  deified  or 
made  divine,  is  ufed,  word  for  word. 


Preface, 


both  by  Saint  Athanafe  and  Saint  Au- 
guftine,  the  former  of  whom  has  faid: 
"He  became  man  that  we  might  be 
made  God;"*  and  the  latter,  "He  call- 
ed men  Gods,  as  being  deified  by  His 
grace,  not  as  born  of  His  fubftance/'-f- 
There  are  many  paflages,  moreover,  in 
the  Epiftles  of  the  Apoftles,  which,  if 
we  paraphrafe  them  at  all,  we  can  hard- 
ly paraphrafe  in  weaker  words.  Itfeems 
to  me  fafer  and  wifer  to  cling  to  the 
letter  of  Scripture:  but  God  forbid  that 
I  fhould  wifh  to  make  fuch  a  man  as 
the  Author  of  the  Theologia  Germa- 
nica  an  offender  for  a  word! 

One  point  more  may  be  worthy  of 
remark.  In  many  obfcure  pafTages  of 
this  book,  words  are  ufed,  both  by  the 

*  Ainhq  lTCriv6q,ji7tri<jEv  Iva  'fif*fXg  deorroiijdwfisy.  Athan. 
Orat.  de  Incarn  Verbi.  Tom.  i  page  io8. 

f  Homines  dixit  Decs,  ex  gratia  fua  deijicatos  ^  non  de 
fubftantia  fua  nates.  Aug.  in  Pfalm  xlix.  (Ed.  Bened. 
Tom.  iv.  page  414) 


xiv  Preface. 

Author  and  by  the  tranflator,  in  their 
ftridt,  original,  and  fcientific  meaning, 
as  they  are  ufed  in  the  Creeds,  and  not 
in  that  meaning  which  has  of  late  crept 
into  our  very  pulpits,  under  the  influ- 
ence of  Locke's  philofophy.  When, 
for  inftance,  it  is  faid  that  God  is  the 
Subftance  of  all  things;  this  expreflion, 
in  the  vulgar  Lockite  fenfe  of  fubftance, 
v^ould  mean  that  God  is  the  matter  or 
ftuff  of  v^hich  all  things  are  made; 
which w^ould  be  the  grofleft  Pantheifm: 
but  *'Subftance"  in  the  true  and  an- 
cient meaning  of  the  word,  as  it  ap- 
pears in  the  Athanafian  Creed,  fignifies 
the  very  oppofite;  namely,  that  which 
Jiands  under  the  appearance  and  the 
matter;  that  by  virtue  of  which  a  thing 
has  its  form,  its  life,  its  real  exiftence, 
as  far  as  it  may  have  any;  and  thus  in 
aflerting  that  God  is  the  Subftance  of 
all  things,  this  book  means  that  every 


Preface, 


XV 


thing  (except  lin,  which  is  no  thing, 
but  the  difeafe  and  fall  of  a  thing)  is  a 
thought  of  God. 

So  again  with  Eternity.  It  will  be 
found  in  this  book  to  mean  not  merely 
fome  future  endlefs  duration,  but  that 
ever-prefent  moral  world,  governed  by 
ever-living  and  abfolutely  neceffary  laws, 
in  which  we  and  all  fpirits  are  now; 
and  in  which  we  {hould  be  equally, 
whether  time  and  fpace,  extenfion  and 
duration,  and  the  whole  material  uni- 
verfe  to  which  they  belong,  became 
nothing  this  moment,  or  laftcd  endleffly. 

I  think  it  necelTary  to  give  thefe  cau- 
tions, becaufe  by  the  light  of  Locke's 
philofophy,  little  or  nothing  will  be 
difcerned  in  this  book,  and  what  little 
is  difcerned,  will  probably  be  utterly 
mifunderftood.  If  any  man  wifhes  to 
fee  clearly  what  is  herein  written,  let 
him  try  to  forget  all  popular  modern 


xvi 


Preface. 


dogmas  and  fyftems,  all  popular  philo- 
fophies  (falfely  fo  called),  and  be  true 
to  the  letter  of  his  Bible,  and  to  the 
inftind:s  which  the  Indwelling  Word 
of  God  was  wont  to  awaken  in  his 
heart,  while  he  was  yet  a  little  unfo- 
phifticated  child ;  and  then  let  him  be 
fure  that  he  will  find  in  this  book  germs 
of  wider  and  deeper  wifdom  than  its 
good  Author  ever  dreamed  of;  and  that 
thofe  great  fpiritual  laws,  which  the 
Author  only  applies,  and  that  often  in- 
confiftently,  to  an  afcetic  and  paflively 
contemplative  life,  will  hold  juft  as 
good  in  the  family,  in  the  market,  in 
the  fenate,  in  the  ftudy,  ay,  in  the  bat- 
tle-field itfelf;  and  teach  him  the  way 
to  lead,  in  whatfover  ftation  of  life  he 
may  be  placed,  a  truly  manlike,  becaufe 
a  truly  Chriftlike  and  Godlike  life. 

Charles  Kingsley. 

Torquay,  Lent,  1854.. 


Hiftorical  Introdudion. 


BY  THE  TRANSLATOR. 


^T^HE  Treatife  before  us  was  difcov- 
ered  by  Luther,  who  firll:  brought 
it  into  notice  by  an  Edition  of  it  which 
he  pubhfhed  in  1 5 1 6.  A  Second  Edi- 
tion, which  came  out  two  years  later, 
he  introduced  with  the  following  Pre- 
face : — 

"We  read  that  St.  Paul,  though  he 
was  of  a  weak  and  contemptible  pre- 
fence,  yet  wrote  weighty  and  pov/erful 
letters,  and  he  boafts  of  himfelf  that 
his  *fpeech  is  not  with  enticing  words 
of  man's  device,'  but  ^full  of  the  riches 
b 


xviii 


Hiftorical 


of  all  knowledge  and  wifdom.'  And 
if  we  confider  the  wondrous  ways  of 
God,  it  is  clear,  that  He  hath  never 
chofen  mighty  and  eloquent  preachers 
to  fpeak  His  word,  but  as  it  is  written: 
*  Out  of  the  mouths  of  babes  and  fuck- 
lings  haft  thou  perfected  praife,'Ps.  viii. 
2.  And  again,  *For  wifdom  opened 
the  mouth  of  the  dumb,  and  made  the 
tongues  of  them  that  cannot  fpeak  elo- 
quent,' Wifdom  X.  21,  Again,  He 
blameth  fuch  as  are  high-minded  and 
are  offended  at  thefe  fimple  ones.  Con- 
filium  inopisy  &c.  *Ye  have  made  a 
mock  at  the  counfel  of  the  poor,  be- 
caufe  he  putteth  his  truft  in  the  Lord,' 
Pf.  xiv.  6. 

**This  I  fay  becaufe  I  will  have 
every  one  warned  who  readeth  this  lit- 
tle book,  that  he  fhould  not  take  of- 
fence, to  his  own  hurt,  at  its  bad  Ger- 
man, or  its  crabbed  and  uncouth  words. 


IntroduEiion.  xix 


For  this  noble  book,  though  it  be  poor 
and  rude  in  words,  is  fo  much  the  richer 
and  more  precious  in  knowledge  and 
divine  wifdom.  And  I  will  fay,  though 
it  be  boafling  of  myfelf  and  '  I  fpeak  as 
a  fool,'  that  next  to  the  Bible  and  St. 
Auguftine,no  book  hath  ever  come  into 
my  hands,  whence  I  have  learnt,  or 
would  wifh  to  learn  more  of  what  God, 
and  Chrift,  and  man  and  all  things  are; 
and  now  I  firft  find  the  truth  of  what 
certain  of  the  learned  have  faid  in  fcorn 
of  us  theologians  of  Wittemberg,  that 
we  would  be  thought  to  put  forward 
new  things,  as  though  there  had  never 
been  men  elfewhere  and  before  our 
time.  Yea,  verily,  there  have  been 
men,  but  God's  wrath,  provoked  by 
our  fins,  hath  not  judged  us  worthy  to 
fee  and  hear  them;  for  it  is  well  known 
that  for  a  long  time  paft  fuch  things 
have  not  been  treated  of  in  our  univer- 


XX 


Hijlorical 


fities;  nay,  it  has  gone  fo  far,  that  the 
Holy  Word  of  God  is  not  only  laid  on 
the  Ihelf,  but  is  almoft  mouldered  away 
with  duft  and  moths.  Let  as  many  as 
will,  read  this  little  book,  and  then  fay 
whether  Theology  is  a  new  or  an  old 
thing  among  us:  for  this  book  is  not 
new.  But  if  they  fay  as  before,  that 
we  are  but  German  theologians,  we  will 
not  deny  it.  I  thank  God  that  1  have 
heard  and  found  my  God  in  the  Ger- 
man tongue,  as  neither  I  nor  they  have 
I*  yet  found  him  in  the  Latin,  Greek,  or 
Hebrew  tongue.  God  grant  that  this 
book  may  be  fpread  abroad,  then  we 
fhall  find  that  the  German  theologians 
are  without  doubt  the  beft  theologians. 

(Signed,  without  date,) 

Dr.  Martin  Luther, 
AuGUSTiNiAN  of  Wittemberg." 


IntroduBion.  xxi 


Thefe  words  of  Luther  will  proba- 
bly be  confidered  to  form  a  fufficient 
juftification  for  an  attempt  to  prefent 
the  Theologia  Germanica  in  an  Englifli 
drefs.  When  Luther  fent  it  forth,  its 
effort  to  revive  the  confcioufnefs  of 
fpiritual  life  was  received  with  enthufi- 
afm  by  his  fellow-countrymen,  in  whom 
that  life  was  then  breaking  with  vol- 
canic energy  through  the  clouds  of  for- 
malifm  and  hypocrily,  with  which  the 
Romifh  Church  had  fought  to  ftifle  its 
fires.  No  fewer  than  feventeen  edi- 
tions of  the  work  appeared  during  the 
lifetime  of  Luther.  Up  to  the  prefent 
day,  it  has  continued  to  be  a  favourite 
handbook  of  devotion  in  Germany, 
where  it  has  paffed  through  certainly 
as  many  as  fixty  Editions,  and  it  has 
alfo  been  widely  circulated  in  France 
and  the  Netherlands,  by  means  of  La- 
tin, French,  and  Flemifh  tranflations. 


xxii 


Hijlorical 


To  the  queftion,  who  was  the  author 
of  a  book  which  has  exerted  fo  great 
an  influence,  no  anfwer  can  be  given, 
all  the  various  endeavours  to  difcover  him 
having  proved  fruitlefs.  Till  within 
the  lafl  few  years,  Luther  was  our  fole 
authority  for  the  text  of  the  work, 
but  about  1850,  a  Manufcript  of  it  was 
difcovered  at  Wurtzburg,  by  Profeffor 
Reufs,  the  librarian  of  the  Univerfity 
there,  which  has  fince  been  publifhed 
verbatim  by  Profeffor  PfeifFer,of  Prague. 
This  Manufcript  dates  from  1497; 
confequently  it  is  fomewhat  older  than 
Luther's  time,  and  it  alfo  contains  fome 
paffages  not  found  in  his  editions.  As 
upon  careful  comparifon,  it  feemed  to 
the  Tranflator  indifputably  fuperior  to 
the  beft  modern  editions  bafed  upon 
Luther's,  it  has  been  feledled  as  the 
groundwork  of  the  prefent  tranllation, 
merely  correcting  from  the  former, 


IntroduSlion.  xxiii 


one  or  two  paffages  which  appeared  to 
contain  errors  of  the  prefs,ormore  likely 
of  the  tranfcriber's  pen.  The  paffages 
not  found  in  Luther's  edition  are  here 
enclofed  between  brackets. 

As  has  been  ftated,  the  author  of  the 
Theologia  Germanica  is  unknown;  but 
it  is  evident  from  his  whole  caft  of 
thought,  as  well  as  from  a  Preface  at- 
tached to  the  Wurtzburg  Manufcript, 
that  he  belonged  to  a  clafs  of  men  who 
fprang  up  in  Southern  Germany  at  the 
beginning  of  the  fourteenth  century, 
and  who  were  diftinguifhed  for  their 
earneft  piety  and  their  prad:ical  belief 
in  the  prefenceof  the  Spiritof  God  with 
all  Chriftians,  laity  as  well  as  clergy. 

Thefe  men  had  fallen  upon  evil 
times.  Their  age  was  not  indeed  one 
of  thofe  periods  in  which  the  vigour  of 
the  nobler  powers  of  the  foul  is  enfee- 
bled by  the  abundance  of  material  prof- 


xxiv 


Hijlorical 


perity  and  phyfical  enjoyment,  nor  yet 
one  of  thofe  in  which  they  are  utterly 
crufhed  out  under  the  hoof  of  oppref- 
fion  and  mifery;  but  it  was  an  age  in 
which  confliding  elements  were  wildly 
ftrugglingfor  the  maflery.  Thehigheft 
fpiritual  and  temporal  authorities  were 
at  deadly  ftrife  with  each  other  and 
among  themfelves;  and  in  their  con- 
tefts,  there  were  few  provinces  or  towns 
that  did  not  repeatedly  fuffer  the  hor- 
rors of  war.  The  defolation  caufed  by 
its  ravages,  was  however  fpeedily  re- 
paired during  the  intervals  of  peace,  by 
the  extraordinary  energy  which  the 
German  nation  difplayed  in  that  bloom 
of  its  manhood;  fo  that  times  of  deep 
mifery  and  great  profperity  rapidly  al- 
ternated with  each  other.  But  on  the 
whole,  during  the  firft  half  of  this  cen- 
tury, the  fenfe  of  the  calamities,  which 
were  continually  recurring,  predomin- 


IntroduEiion.  xxv 


ated  over  the  recolledlion  of  the  calmer 
years  which  were  barely  sufficient  to 
allow  breathing  time  between  the  fuc- 
ceffive  waves  that  threaten  to  over- 
whelm focial  order  and  happinefs. 

The  unqueflioning  faith  and  honeft 
enthuliafm  which  had  prompted  the 
Crufades,  no  longer  burnt  with  the 
fame  fierce  ardour,  for  the  unhappy 
iffue  of  thofe  facred  enterprifes,  and  the 
fcandalous  worldly  ambition  of  the  heads 
of  the  Church,  had  moderated  its  fer- 
vour and  faddened  the  hearts  of  true  be- 
lievers. Yet  the  one  Catholic,  Chriftian 
creed  ftill  held  an  undivided  and  very 
real  fovereignty  over  men's  minds,  and 
the  fupremacy  of  the  Church  in  things 
fpiritual  was  never  queftioned,  though 
many  were  beginning  to  feel  that  it 
was  needful  for  the  State  to  have  an  in- 
dependent authority  in  things  temporal, 
and  the  queftion  was  warmly  agitated 


xxvi  Hijlorkal 


how  much  of  the  fpiritual  authority 
refided  in  the  Pope  and  how  much  in 
the  bifhops  and  doctors  of  the  Church. 
But  in  whichever  way  the  difpute  be- 
tween thefe  rival  claims  might  be  ad- 
jufled,  the  reverence  for  the  office  of  the 
clergy  remained  unimpaired.  The  cafe 
was  very  different  with  the  reverence 
for  their  perfons,  which  had  fallen  to  a 
very  low  ebb,  owing  to  the  worldlinefs 
and  immorality  of  their  lives.  This 
again  was  much  encouraged  by  the  con- 
dud:  of  the  Popes,  who,  in  their  zeal 
to  eftablifh  worldly  dominion,  made  ec- 
clefiaftical  appointments  rather  with  a 
view  to  gain  political  adherents,  or  to 
acquire  wealth  by  the  fale  of  benefices, 
than  with  a  regard  to  the  fitnefs  of  the 
men  feledled,or  the  welfare  of  the  peo- 
ple committed  to  their  charge. 

On  the  whole,  it  was  an  age  of  faith, 
though  by  no  means  of  a  blind,  unrea- 


IntroduSiion.  xxvii 


foning  taking  things  for  granted.  On 
the  contrary,  the  evidences  of  extreme 
adlivity  of  mind  meet  us  on  every  hand, 
in  the  monuments  of  its  literature,  ar- 
chitedlure,  and  invention.  A  few  fad:s 
ftrikingly  illuftrate  the  divergent  ten- 
dencies of  thought  and  public  opinion. 
Thus  we  may  remember,  how  it  was 
currently  reported  that  the  profligate 
Pope  Boniface  VIII.  was  privately  an 
unbeliever,  even  deriding  the  idea  of 
the  immortality  of  the  foul,  at  the  very 
time  when  he  was  maintaining  againft 
Philip  the  Fair,  the  right  of  the  Pope 
to  fit,  asChrift's  reprefentative,  in  judg- 
ment on  the  living  and  the  dead,  and 
to  take  thefword  of  temporal  power  out 
of  the  hands  of  thofe  who  mifufed  it.* 
Whetherthis  accufationwas  true  ornot, 

*  Neander's  ^^KirckengefchichteJ'''  Band  6,  S.  15,  20. 
This  work  and  Schmitz's  "  Johannes  hauler  ^oon  Straf- 
burgf''  are  the  authorities  for  moft  of  the  fafts  here  men- 
tioned. 


xxviii 


Hijlorical 


it  is  a  remarkable  fign  of  the  times  that 
it  fhould  have  been  widely  believed. 

Some  years  later,  and  when  the  in- 
creafed  corruptnefs  of  the  clergy^,  after 
the  removal  of  the  Papal  Court  to 
Avignon,  provoked  ftill  louder  com- 
plaints, we  fee  the  religious  and  pa- 
triotic Emperor,  Louis  IV.,  accufing 
John  XXII.  of  herefy,  in  a  public  al- 
fembly  held  in  the  fquare  of  St.  Peter's 
at  Rome,  and  fetting  up  another  Pope 
"  in  order  to  pleafe  the  Roman  people." 
But  though  the  new  Pope  was  every 
way  fitted,  by  his  unblemifhed  charac- 
ter and  afcetic  manners,  to  gain  a  hold 
on  public  efteem,  we  fee  that  the  Em- 
peror could  not  maintain  him  againft 
the  legitimately  eledled  Pope,  who 
from  his  feat  at  Avignon,  had  power  to 
harafs  the  Emperor  fo  greatly  with  his 
interdidls,  that  the  latter,  finding  all 
efforts  at  conciliation  fruitlefs,  would 


IntroduSlion.  xxix 


have  bought  peace  by  unconditional 
fubmiflion,  had  not  the  Eftates  of  the 
Empire  refufed  to  yield  to  fuch  humi- 
liation. Yet  we  find  this  very  Pope 
obliged  to  yield  and  retrad:  his  opinions 
on  a  point  of  dogmatic  theology.  He 
had  in  a  certain  treatife  propounded  the 
opinion  that  the  fouls  of  the  pious  w^ould 
not  be  admitted  to  the  immediate  vifion 
of  the  Deity  until  after  the  day  of  Judg- 
ment. The  King  of  France,  in  1433, 
called  an  afi^embly  of  Prelates  and  theo- 
logians at  his  palace  atVincennes,  v^^here 
he  invited  them  to  difcufs  before  him 
the  two  queftions,  w^hether  the  fouls  of 
departed  faints  would  be  admitted  to 
an  immediate  vifion  of  the  Deity  before 
the  refurredtion;  and  whether,  if  fo, 
their  vifion  would  be  of  the  fame  or  of 
a  different  kind  after  the  Judgment 
Day?  The  theological  faculty  having 
come  to  conclufions  difi'ering  in  fome 


XXX  Hijlorical 


refpedls  from  thofe  of  the  Pope,  the 
King  threatened  the  latter  with  the 
ftake  as  a  heretic,  unlefs  he  retradled; 
and  John  XXII.  iffued  a  bull,  declaring 
that  what  he  had  faid  or  written,  ought 
only  to  be  received  in  fo  far  as  it  agreed 
with  the  Catholic  Faith,  the  Church 
and  Holy  Scripture.  No  circurnftance, 
perhaps,  offers  a  more  remarkable  fpec- 
tacle  to  us  in  its  contraft  with  the  fpirit 
of  our  own  times.  At  the  prefent  mo- 
ment, when  the  Pope  could  not  fit  for 
a  day  in  fafety  on  his  temporal  throne 
without  the  defence  of  French  or  Auf- 
trian  bayonets,  we  can  fcarcely  conceive 
an  Emperor  of  France  or  Auftria  taking 
upon  himfelf  to  convene  an  affembly  of 
Catholic  theologians,  and  the  latter  pro- 
nouncing a  cenfure  on  the  dogmas  pro- 
pounded by  the  Plead  of  the  Church! 
It  would  be  hard  to  fay  whether  the 
Sovereigns  of  the  prefent  day  would  be 


IntroduEiion.  xxxi 


more  amufed  by  the  abfurdity  of  de- 
voting their  time  to  fuch  difcuffions,  or 
the  confciences  of  good  Cathohcs  more 
fhocked  at.  the  prefumption  of  fuch  a 
verdid;. 

Still  it  muft  not  be  forgotten  that 
the  importance  of  religious  affairs  in 
that  age  muft  not  be  afcribed  too  ex- 
clufively  to  earneftnefs  about  religion 
itfelf,  for  the  ecclefiaftical  intereft  pre- 
dominated over  the  purely  religious. 
The  Pope  and  the  Emperor  reprefent- 
ed  the  two  great  antagoniftic  pov^ers, 
fpiritual  and  temporal,  the  rivalry  be- 
tween which  abforbed  into  itfelf  all  the 
political  and  focial  queftions  that  could 
then  be  agitated.  The  queftion  of 
allegiance  to  the  Pope  or  the  Emper- 
or was  like  the  conteft  between  royal- 
ifm  and  republicanifm;  the  Ghibelline 
called  himfelf  a  patriot,  and  was  called 
by  his  adverfary,  the  Guelf,  a  worldly 


xxxii 


Hijlorical 


man  or  even  an  infidel,  while  he  retort- 
ed by  calling  the  Guelf  a  betrayer  of 
his  country,  and  an  enemy  of  national 
liberties. 

We  cannot  help  feeing,  however, 
that  in  thofe  days  both  princes  and  peo- 
ple, wicked  as  their  lives  often  were, 
did  really  believe  in  the  Chriflian  reli- 
gion, and  that  while  much  of  the  my- 
thological, and  much  of  the  formaliftic 
element  mingled  in  their  zeal  for  out- 
ward obfervances,  there  was  alfo  much 
thoroughly  fincere  enthufiafm  among 
them.  But  both  the  great  powers  op- 
prelTed  the  people,  which  looked  alter- 
nately to  the  one  fide  or  the  other  for 
emancipation  from  the  particular  griev- 
ances felt  to  be  moft  galling  at  any  given 
moment  or  place.  In  the  frightful 
moral  and  phyfical  condition  of  fociety, 
it  was  no  wonder  that  a  defpair  of  Pro- 
vidence fhould  have  begun  to  attack 


IntroduEiion .  xxxiii 


fome  minds,  which  led  to  materialiftic 
fcepticifm,  while  others  fought  for  help 
on  the  path  of  wild  fpeculation.  The 
latter  appears  to  have  been  the  cafe  with 
the  Beghards  or  Brothers  and  Sifters 
of  the  Free  Spirit,"  who  attempted  to 
inftitute  a  reform  by  withdrawing  the 
people  altogether  from  the  influence  of 
the  clergy,  but  whofe  followers  after  a 
time  too  often  fell  into  the  vices  of  the 
priefts  from  whom  they  had  feparated 
themfelves.  In  13 17,  we  find  the 
Bifhopof  Ochfenftein  complaining  that 
Alface  was  filled  with  thefe  Beghards, 
who  appear  to  have  been  a  kind  of  an- 
tinomian  pantheifts,  teaching  that  the 
Spirit  is  bound  by  no  law,  and  annihi- 
lating the  diftindion  between  the  Cre- 
ator and  the  creature.  Both  in  their 
excellencies  and  defe(fls  they  remind  us 
of  the  modern  ^'German  Catholics," 
and  of  fome,  too,  of  the  recent  Proteft- 


xxxiv  Hijlorical 

ant  fchools  in  Germany.  There  feems 
to  have  been  no  party  of  profeffed  un- 
beUeverSjbut  thatfome  individuals  were 
fuch  in  word  as  well  as  deed,  appears 
from  what  Ruyfbroch  of  Bruffels,* 
'  (1300- 1 3 30)  fays  of  thofe  **who  live 
in  mortal  fin,  not  troubling  themfelves 
about  God  or  his  grace,  but  thinking 
virtue  fheer  nonfenfe,  and  the  fpiritual 
life  hypocrify  or  delufion;  and  hearing 
with  difguft  all  mention  of  God  or  vir- 
tue, for  they  are  perfuaded  that  there 
is  no  fuch  thing  as  God,  or  Heaven,  or 
Hell;  for  they  acknowledge  nothing 
but  what  is  palpable  to  the  fenfes." 
.  The  early  part  of  the  fourteenth  cen- 
tury faw  Germany  divided  for  nine  years 
between  the  rival  claims  of  two  Em- 
perors, Frederick  of  Auftria,  fupported 
by  Pope  John  XXII.  and  a  fadlion  in 

*  As  quoted  by  Neander.     Kirchengefchichte^  B.  6, 
S.  769. 


IntroduSlion.  xxxv 


Germany,  and  Louis  of  Bavaria,  whofe  j 
caufe  was  efpoufed  by  a  majority  of  the  | 
Princes  of  the  Empire,  as  that  of  the 
defender  of  the  dignity  and  indepen-  | 
dence  of  the  State,  and  the  champion 
of  reform  within  the  Church.  The 
death  of  Frederick  in  1322,  left  Louis 
the  undifputed  Emperor,  as  far  as  nearly 
all  his  fubjedts  were  concerned,  and  he 
would  fain  have  purchafed  peace  with 
the  Pope  on  any  reafonable  terms,  that 
he  might  apply  himfelf  to  the  internal 
improvement  of  his  dominions;  but 
John  XXIL  was  implacable,  and  con- 
tinued to  wage  againft  him  and  his  ad- 
herents a  deadly  warfare,  not  clofed 
until  his  fucceflbr  Charles  IV,  fubmit- 
ted  to  all  the  papal  demands,  and  to 
every  indignity  impofed  upon  him. 

One  of  the  moft  fearful  confequences 
of  the  enmity  between  John  XXIL  and 
Louis  of  Bavaria,  to  the  unfortunate 


xxxvi  Hijlorkal 


fuhjedls  of  the  latter,  was  the  Interdid: 
under  which  his  dominions  were  laid 
in  1324,  and  from  which  fome  places, 
diftinguifhed  for  their  loyalty  to  the 
Emperor,  were  not  relieved  for  fix  and 
twenty  years.  Louis,  indeed,  defired 
his  fubjeds  to  pay  no  regard  to  the  bull 
of  excommunication,  and  moft  of  the 
laity,  efpecially  of  the  larger  towns, 
would  gladly  have  obeyed  him  in  fpite 
of  the  Pope;  but  the  greater  part  of 
the  bifhops  and  clergy  held  with  their 
fpiritual  head,  and  thus  the  inhabitants 
of  Strafburg,  Nuremberg,  and  other 
cities,  where  the  civil  authorities  fided 
with  the  Emperor,  and  the  clergy  with 
the  Pope,  were  left  year  after  year  with- 
out any  religious  privileges;  for  public 
worfhip  ceafed,  and  all  the  bufinefs  of 
life  went  on  without  the  benedictions 
of  the  Church,  no  rite  being  allowed 
but  baptifm  and  extreme  undion. 


IntroduEiion.  xxxvii 


After  this  had  lafted  lixteen  years, 
the  Emperor,  wifhing  to  relieve  the  an- 
guifhed  confciences  of  his  people,  iffued, 
in  conjundlion  with  the  Princes  of  the 
Empire,  a  great  manifefto  to  all  Chrif- 
tendom,  refuting  the  Pope's  accufations 
againft  him,  maintaining  that  he  who 
had  been  legally  chofen  by  the  Eledlors 
was,  in  virtue  thereof,  the  rightful  Em- 
peror, and  had  received  this  dignity 
from  God,  and  proclaiming  that  all 
who  denied  this  were  guilty  of  high 
treafon;  and  therefore  none  fhould  be 
allowed  any  longer  to  obferve  the  Inter- 
dict, and  all  who  fhould  continue  to  do 
fo,  whether  communities  or  individuals, 
fhould  be  deprived  of  every  civil  and 
ecclefiaftical  right  and  privilege.  This 
courageous  edi6l  found  a  refponfe  in  the 
heart  of  the  nation,  and  public  opinion 
continually  declared  itfelf  more  ftrongly 
on  the  fide  of  the  Emperor.    Yet  on 


xxxviii  Hijlorical 


the  whole  it  rather  increafed  the  gen- 
eral anarchy;  for  in  many  places  the 
priefts  and  monks  were  fteadfaft  in  their 
allegiance  to  the  Pope,  and,  refufing  to 
adminifter  public  fervice,  were  altogeth- 
er banifhed  from  the  towns,  and  the 
churches  and  convents  clofed.  In  Straf- 
burg,  for  inftance,  where  the  regular 
clergy  had  long  fmce  ceafed  to  perform 
religious  rites,  the  Dominicans  and 
Francifcans  had  continued  to  preach 
and  perform  mafs;  but  now,  they  too, 
frightened  by  the  Edidl,  which  placed 
them  in  dired;  oppofition  to  the  Pope, 
dared  no  longer  to  difregard  the  renewed 
fentence  of  excommunication  hanging 
over  them,  and  refufing  to  read  mafs, 
were  expelled  by  the  Town  Council. 
Many  of  thefe  banifhed  clergy  wan- 
dered about  in  great  diftrefs,  with  dif- 
ficulty finding  refuge  among  the  fcat- 
tered  rural  population,  and  the  fuffer- 


IntroduEiion.  xxxix 


ings  they  endured  proved  the  fincerity 
of  their  confcientious  fcruples.  Some 
few,  either  from  worldly  motives,  or 
out  of  pity  for  the  people,  rem.ained  at 
their  pofls.  The  former  indeed  throve 
by  the  miferiesof  their  fellow-creatures, 
driving  a  ufurious  trade  in  the  famine 
of  fpiritual  confolation;  for  it  is  upon 
record,  that  in  time  of  peftilence,  the 
price  of  fhrift  has  been  as  much  as 
fixty  florins! 

Thefpedtacleof  fuchdifcord  between 
the  clergy  and  the  laity,  was  fomething 
unfpeakably  fhocking  to  the  Chriflian 
world  in  that  age,  and  the  energetic 
proceedings  of  the  magiftracy  m.uft 
have  utterly  daggered  the  faith  of  many. 
Of  all  the  events  that  were  liirring  up 
men's  paffions  and  energies,  none  was 
more  calculated  to  move  their  fouls  to 
the  very  centre,  than  to  find  themfelves 
compelled  to  ftand  up  in  arms  againfl: 


xl 


Hijiorical 


thofe  whom  they  had  been  wont  to 
bow  down  before  and  to  reverence  as 
the  fource  of  thofe  fpiritual  bleffings, 
for  the  fake  of  which  they  were  now 
driven  in  defperation  to  take  this  awful 
ftep. 

To  thefe  political  and  religious  dif- 
fenfions  were  added,  in  procefs  of  time, 
other  miferies.  After  it  had  been  pre- 
ceded by  earthquakes,  hurricanes  and 
famine,  the  Black  Death  broke  out, 
fpreading  terror  and  defolation  through 
Southern  Europe.  Men  faw  in  thefe 
frightful  calamities  the  judgments  of 
God,  but  looked  in  vain  for  any  to  fhow 
them  a  way  of  deliverance  and  efcape. 
Some  believed  that  the  laft  day  was  ap- 
proaching; feme,  remembering  an  old 
prophecy,  looked  with  hope  for  the  re- 
turn of  the  Great  Emperor  Frederick 
II.  to  reftore  juftice  and  peace  in  the 
world,  to  punifh  the  wicked  clergy. 


IntroduElion. 


xli 


and  help  the  poor  and  oppreffed  flock 
to  their  rights.  Others  traverfed  the 
country  in  proceffions,  fcourging  them- 
felves  and  praying  with  a  loud  voice, 
in  order  to  atone  for  their  fins  and  ap- 
peafe  God's  anger,  and  inveighing 
againft  man's  unbeHef,  w^hich  had  call- 
ed dow^n  God's  wrath  upon  the  earth; 
while  fome  thought  to  do  God  fervice, 
by  wreaking  vengeance  on  the  people 
which  had  flain  the  Lord,  and  thouf- 
ands  of  wretched  Jews  perifhed  in  the 
flames  kindled  by  frantic  terror.  *'A11 
things  worked  together  to  deepen  the 
fenfe  of  the  corruptnefs  of  the  Church, 
to  lead  men's  thoughts  onwards  from 
their  phyfical  to  their  fpiritual  wants, 
to  awaken  reflection  on  the  judgments 
of  God,  and  to  fix  their  eyes  on  the  in- 
dications of  the  future,"*  fo  that  John 
of  Winterthur  was  probably  not  alone, 

•  Neander,  Kirchengefchichte,    B.  6,  S.  728. 


xlii 


Hijlorkal 


in  applying  to  his  own  times,  what  St. 
Paul  fays  of  the  perils  of  the  latter  days. 

In  thefe  chaotic  times,  and  in  the 
countries  where  the  ftorms  raged  moft 
fiercely,  there  were  fome  who  fought 
that  peace  which  could  not  be  found 
on  earth,  in  intercourfe  with  a  higher 
world.  Deftitute  of  help  and  comfort 
and  guidance  from  man,  they  took  re- 
fuge in  God,  and  finding  that  to  them 
He  had  proved  *'a  prefent  help  in  time 
of  trouble,"  '*as  the  fhadow  of  a  great 
rock  in  a  weary  land,''  they  tried  to 
bring  their  fellow-men  to  believe  and 
partake  in  a  life  raifed  above  the  trou- 
bles of  this  world.  They  defired  to 
fhow  them  that  that  Eternal  life  and 
enduring  peace,  which  Chrift  had  pro- 
mifed  to  His  difciples,  was,  of  a  truth, 
to  be  found  by  the  Way  which  he  had 
pointed  out, — by  a  living  union  with 
Him  and  the  Fatherwho  had  fent  Him. 


IntroduEiion.  xliii 


With  this  aim,  like-minded  men  and 
women  joined  themfelves  together,  that 
by  communion  of  heart  and  mutual 
counfel  they  rnight  ftrengthen  each 
other  in  their  common  efforts  to  revive 
the  fpiritual  life  of  thofe  around  them. 
The  AfTociation  they  founded  was  kept 
fecret,  left  through  mifconception  of 
their  principles,  they  might  fall  under 
fufpicion  of  herefy,  and  the  Inquifition 
fhould  put  a  ftop  to  their  labours;  but 
they  defired  to  keep  themfelves  aloof 
from  everything  that  favoured  of  herefy 
or  diforder.  On  the  contrary,  they 
carefully  obferved  all  the  precepts  of 
the  Church,  and  carried  their  obedience 
fo  far  that  many  of  their  number  were 
among  the  priefts,  who  were  banifhed 
for  obeying  the  Pope,  when  the  Em- 
peror ordered  them  to  difregard  the  In- 
terdict. They  affumed  the  appellation 
of    Friends  of  God,"  ( Gottesfreiinde) 


xliv 


Hijlorical 


and  in  the  courfe  of  a  few  years,  their 
alTociations  extended  along  the  Rhine 
provinces  from  Bafle  to  Cologne,  and 
eaftwards  through  Swabia,  Bavaria,  and 
Franconia.  Strafburg,  Conftance,  Nu- 
remberg and  Nordlingen  were  among 
their  chief  feats.  Their  diftinguifhing 
dodrines  were  felf-renunciation, — the 
complete  giving  up  of  self-will  to  the 
will  of  God; — the  continuous  activity 
of  the  Spirit  of  God  in  all  believers, 
and  the  intimate  union  poffible  between 
God  and  man; — the  worthleffnefs  of  all 
religion  bafed  upon  fear  or  the  hope  of 
reward; — and  the  effential  equality  of 
the  laity  and  clergy,  though  for  the 
fake  of  order  and  difcipline,  the  organi- 
zation of  the  Church  was  neceffary. 
They  often  appealed  to  the  declaration 
of  Chrift  (John  xv.  15),  ''Henceforth 
I  call  you  not  fervants;  for  the  fervant 
knoweth  not  what  his  lord  doeth;  but 


IntroduBion.  xlv 


I  have  called  you  friends;  for  all  things  ~ 
that  I  have  heard  of  my  Father  I  have 
made  known  unto  you;"  and  from  this 
they  probably  derived  their  name  of 
"Friends  of  God."  Their  mode  of 
t  action  was  fimply  perfonal,  for  they 
made  no  attempt  to  gain  political  and 
hierarchical  power,  but  exerted  all  their 
influence  by  means  of  preaching,  wri- 
ting and  focial  intercourfe.  The  Af- 
fociation  counted  among  its  members 
priefts,  monks,  and  laity,  without  dif- 
tindion  of  rank  or  fex.  Its  leaders 
ftood  likewife  in  clofe  connexion  with 
feveral  convents,  efpecially  thofe  of  En- 
genthal  and  Maria-Medingen  near  Nu- 
remberg, prefided  over  by  the  fifters 
Chriftina  and  Margaret  Ebner,  much 
of  whofe  correfpondence  is  ftill  extant. 
Agnes,  the  widow  of  King  Andrew  of 
Hungary,  and  various  knights  and  bur- 
ghers are  alfo  named  as  belonging  to  it. 


xlvi 


Hijlorical 


Foremoft  among  the  leaders  of  this 
party  fhould  be  mentioned  the  celebrat- 
ed Tauler,  a  Dominican  monk  of  Straf- 
burg,  who  fpent  his  life  in  preaching 
and  teaching  up  and  down  the  country 
from  Strafburg  to  Cologne,  and  whofe 
influence  is  to  this  day  ad:ive  among 
his  countrymen  by  means  of  his  admir- 
able fermons,  which  are  ftill  widely 
read.  At  the  time  of  the  Interdict,  he 
wrote  a  noble  appeal  to  the  clergy  not 
to  forfake  their  flocks,  maintaining  that 
if  the  Emperor  had  finned,  the  blame 
lay  with  him  only,  not  with  his  wretch- 
ed fubje6ls,fo  that  it  was  a  crying  fliame 
to  vifit  his  guilt  upon  the  innocent  peo- 
ple, but  that  their  unjufl:  oppreflion 
would  be  recompenfed  to  them  by  God 
hereafter.  He  adled  up  to  his  own 
principles,  and  when  the  Black  Death 
was  raging  in  Strafl)urg,  where  it  car- 
ried off*  16,000  vi6lims,  he  was  unwea- 


IntroduEiion.  xlvii 


ried  in  his  efforts  to  adminifler  aid  and 
confolation  to  the  fick  and  dying. 

Much  of  Tauler's  religious  fervour 
and  hght  he  himfelf  attributed  to  the 
inftrudions  of  a  layman,  his  friend. 
It  is  now  known  from  contemporary 
records  that  this  was  Nicholas  of  Bafle, 
a  citizen  of  that  Free  town  and  a  fecret 
Waldenfian.  Little  is  known  of  his 
life  beyond  the  fad:  that  he  was  inti- 
mately conneded  with  many  of  the 
heads  of  this  party,  and  was  reforted  to 
by  them  for  guidance  and  help;  for, 
being  under  fufpicion  of  herefy,  he  had 
to  conceal  all  his  movements  from  the 
Inquifition.  He  fucceeded,  however, 
in  carrying  on  his  labours  and  eluding 
his  enemies,  until  he  reached  an  ad- 
vanced age;  but  at  length,  venturing 
alone  and  unproteded  into  France,  he 
was  taken, and  burnt  atVienne  in  1382. 
Another  friend  of  Tauler's,  and  like 


xlviii  Hijlorkal 


him  an  eloquent  and  powerful  preacher, 
whofe  fermons  are  ftill  read  with  de- 
light, was  Henry  Sufo,  a  Dominican 
monk,  belonging  to  a  knightly  family 
in  Swabia. 

One  of  the  leaders  of  the  "Friends 
of  God,"  Nicholas  of  Strafburg,  was  in 
I  326  appointed  by  John  XXII.  nuncio, 
with  the  overfight  of  the  Dominican 
order  throughout  Germany,  and  dedi- 
cated to  that  Pope  an  Effay  of  great 
learning  and  ability,  refuting  the  pre- 
valent interpretations  of  Scripture, 
which  referred  the  coming  of  Anti- 
chrift  and  the  Judgment  day  to  the 
immediate  future.  Thus  we  fee  that 
the  "Friends  of  God"  were  not  con- 
fined to  one  political  party,  and  this 
likewife  appears  from  the  hiftory  of 
another  celebrated  member  of  this  feet, 
Henry  of  Nordlingen,  a  prieft  of  Con- 
ftance,  who,  like  Sufo,  was  banifhed 


IntroduSlion.  xlix 


for  his  adherence  to  the  Pope.  One 
of  the  moft  remarkable  men  of  this  feet 
was  a  layman  and  married,  Rulman 
Merfwin,  belonging  to  a  high  family  at 
Stralburg.  He  appears  to  have  been 
led  to  a  religious  life  by  the  influence 
of  Tauler,  who  was  his  confeffor.  He 
is  the  author  of  feveral  myftical  works 
which,  he  fays,  he  wrote  **to  do  good 
to  his  fellow  creatures,"  but  he  con- 
tributed perhaps  ftill  more  largely  to 
their  benefit  by  his  activity  in  charitable 
works,  for  he  eftablifhed  one  hofpital 
and  feems  to  have  had  the  overfighf  of 
others  alfo.  He  likewife  gave  largely 
to  churches  and  convents,  but  is  beft 
known  by  having  founded  a  houfe  for 
the  Knights  of  St.  John  in  Strafburg. 
The  charadleriftic  doctrines  of  the 
Friends  of  God  have  already  been  in- 
dicated. That  they  fhould  not  have 
fallen  into  fome  exaggerations  was 
d 


1  Hijlorkal 


fcarcely  poffible,  but  where  they  have 
done  fo,  it  may  generally  be  traced  to 
the  influence  of  the  monaftic  life  to 
which  moft  of  them  were  dedicated, 
and  to  the  perplexities  of  their  age. 

The  book  before  us  was  probably 
written  fomewhere  about  1350,  iince  it 
refers  to  Tauler  as  already  well  known. 
It  was  the  practice  of  the  Friends  of 
God,"  to  conceal  their  names  as  much 
as  poflible  when  they  wrote,  left  a  defire 
for  fame  fhould  mingle  with  their  en- 
deavours to  be  ufeful.  This  is  proba- 
bljf  the  reafon  why  we  have  no  indica- 
tion of  its  authorfhip  beyond  a  preface, 
which  the  Wurtzburg  Manufcript  pof- 
feffes  in  common  with  that  which  was 
in  Luther's  hands,  and  from  which  it 
appears  that  the  writer  "was  of  the 
Teutonic  order,  a  prieft  and  a  warden 
in  the  houfe  of  the  Teutonic  order  in 
Frankfort."    A  tranflation  of  this  Pre- 


IntroduElion. 


li 


face  is  prefixed  to  the  prefent  volume. 
Till  the  difcovery  of  the  Wurtzburg 
Manufcript,  it  was  fuppofed  that  this 
Preface  was  from  Luther's  hand,  who 
merely  embodied  in  it  the  tradition 
which  he  had  received  fromfomefource 
unknown  to  us;  and  hence,  fome,  dif- 
regarding  its  authority,  have  afcribed 
the  Theologia  Germanica  to  Tauler, 
whofe  ftyle  it  refembles  fo  much  that 
it  might  be  taken  for  his  work,  but  for 
the  reference  to  him  already  mentioned. 
Since  however  the  antiquity  of  the 
Preface  is  now  proved,  we  muft  be  con- 
tent with  the  information  which  it  af- 
fords us,  unlefs  any  further  difcoveries 
among  old  manufcripts  fhould  throw 
frefh  hght  upon  the  fubjed. 

Should  this  attempt  to  introduce  the 
writings  of  the  Friends  of  God"  in 
England,  awaken  an  interefl  in  them 
and  their  works,  the  Tranflator  propofes 


lii 


IntroduEiion. 


to  follow  up  the  prefent  volume  with 
an  account  of  Tauler  and  feled:ions 
from  his  writings;  believing  that  the 
ftudyof  thefe  German  theologians,  who 
were  already  called  old  in  Luther's  age, 
would  furnilh  the  beft  antidote  to  what 
of  mifchief  Englifli  readers  may  have 
derived  from  German  theology,  falfely 
fo  called. 


Manchefter,  February ,  1854. 


LETTER 


FROM   CHEVALIER  BUNSEN 
TO  THE  TRANSLATOR. 

77  Marina,  St.  Leonard Von-Sea, 
iith  May,  1854. 

My  dear  Friend, 

YC>UR  Letter  and  the  proof  flieets 
of  your  Tranflation  of  the  Theo- 
logia  Germanica,  with  Kingfley*s  Pre- 
face and  your  Introdudlion,  were  ide- 
livered  to  me  yefterday,  as  I  was  leav- 
ing Carlton  Terrace  to  breathe  once 
more,  for  a  few  days,  the  refrefhing 
air  of  this  quiet,  lovely  place.  You 
told  me,  at  the  time,  that  you  had  been 
led  to  ftudy  Tauler  and  the  Theologia 
Germanica  by  fome  converfations  which 


liv  Letter  to  the 


we  had  on  their  fubjeds  in  1851,  and 
you  now  wifh  me  to  ftate  to  your  rea- 
ders, in  a  few  lines,  what  place  I  con- 
ceive this  fchool  of  Germanic  theology 
to  hold  in  the  general  development  of 
chriftian  thought,  and  what  appears  to 
me  to  be  the  bearing  of  this  work  in 
particular  upon  the  prefent  dangers  and 
profpedls  of  Chriflianity,  as  well  as 
upon  the  eternal  interefls  of  religion  in 
the  heart  of  every  man  and  woman. 

In  complying  willingly  with  your 
requeft,  I  may  begin  by  faying  that, 
with  Luther,  I  rank  this  fhort  treatife 
Vit^t  to  the  Bible,  but  unlike  him, 
fliould  place  it  before  rather  than  after 
St.  Auguftine.  That  fchool  of  pious, 
learned,  and  profound  men  pf  which 
this  book  is,  as  it  were,  the  popular 
catechifm,  was  the  Germanic  counter- 
.  part  of  Romanic  fcholafticifm,  and  more 
than  the  revival  of  that  Latin  theology 


TranJIator.  Iv 


which  produced  fo  many  eminent 
thinkers,  from  Auguftine,  its  father,  to 
Thomas  Aquinas,  its  laft  great  genius, 
whofe  death  did  not  take  place  until 
after  the  birth  of  Dante,  who  again 
was  the  contemporary  of  the  Socrates  of 
the  Rhenifh  fchool, — Meifter  Eckart, 
the  Dominican. 

The  theology  of  this  fchool  was  the 
firft  proteft  of  the  Germanic  mind 
againft  the  Judaifm  and  formalifm  of 
the  Byzantine  and  medieval  Churches, 
— the  hollownefs  of  fcience  to  which 
fcholafticifm  had  led,  and  the  rotten- 
nefs  of  fociety  which  a  pompous  hier- 
archy ftrove  in  vain  to  conceal,  but  had 
not  the  power  nor  the  will  to  corred:. 
Eckart  and  Tauler,  his  pupil,  brought 
religion  home  from  fruitlefs  fpecula- 
tion,  and  reafonings  upon  imaginary  or 
impoffible  fuppofitions,  to  man's  own 
heart  and  to  the  underftandin?  of  the  v  \ 


Ivi  Letter  to  the 


common  people,  as  Socrates  did  the 
Greek  philofophy.  There  is  both  a 
remarkable  analogy  and  a  ftriking  con- 
traft  between  the  great  Athenian  and 
thofe  Dominican  friars.  Socrates  did 
full  juftice  to  the  deep  ethical  ideas 
embodied  in  the  eftabliflied  religion  of 
his  country  and  its  venerated  myfteries, 
which  he  far  preferred  to  the  fhallow 
philofophy  of  the  fophifts;  but  he  dif- 
fuaded  his  pupils  from  feeking  an  ini- 
tiation into  the  myfteries,  or  at  leaft 
from  refting  their  convidtions  and  hopes 
upon  them,  exhorting  them  to  rely, 
not  upon  the  oracles  of  Delphi,  but 
upon  the  oracle  in  their  own  bofom. 
The  "  Friends  of  God,"  on  the  other 
hand,  believing  (like  Dante)  moft  pro- 
foundly in  the  truth  of  the  Chriftian  re- 
ligion, on  which  the  eftablifhed  church 
of  their  age,  notwithftanding  its  cor- 
ruptions, was  effentially  founded,  re- 


Tranjlator. 


Ivii 


commended  fubmiffion  to  the  ordinan- 
ces of  the  church  as  a  wholefome  pre- 
paratory difcipline  for  many  minds. 
Like  the  faint  of  Athens,  however,  they 
fpoke  plain  truth  to  the  people.  To 
their  difciples,  and  thofe  who  came  to 
them  for  inftruftion,  they  exhibited 
the  whole  depth  of  that  real  chriftian 
philofophy,  which  opens  to  the  mind 
after  all  fcholaftic  conventionalifm  has 
been  thrown  away,  and  the  foul  liflens 
to  the  refponfe  which  Chrift's  Gofpel 
and  God's  creation  find  in  a  fincere 
heart  and  a  felf-facrificing  life ; — a  phi- 
lofophy which,  confidered  merely  as  a 
fpeculation,  is  far  more  profound  than 
any  fcholaftic  fyftem.  But,  in  a  ftyle 
that  was  intelligible  to  all,  they  preach- 
ed that  no  fulfilment  of  rites  and 
ceremonies,  nor  of  fo-called  religious 
duties, — in  fadi,  no  outward  works, 
however  meritorious,  can  either  give 


Iviii 


Letter  to  the 


peace  to  man's  confcience,  nor  yet  give 
him  ftrength  to  bear  up  againft  the 
temptations  of  profperity  and  the  trials 
of  adverfity. 

In  following  this  courfe  they  brought 
the  people  back  from  hollow  profeffion 
and  real  defpair,  to  the  bleffings  of  gof- 
pel  religion,  while  they  opened  to  phi- 
lofophic  minds  a  new  career  of  thought. 
By  teaching  that  man  is  juftified  by 
faith,  and  by  faith  alone,  they  prepared 
the  popular  intelled:ual  element  of  the 
Reformation;  by  teaching  that  this 
faith  has  its  philofophy,  as  fully  able 
to  carry  convid;ion  to  the  underftand- 
ing,  as  faith  is  to  give  peace  to  the 
troubled  confcience,  they  paved  the 
way  for  that  fpiritual  philofophy  of  the 
mind,  of  which  Kant  laid  the  founda- 
tion. But  they  were  not  controverlial- 
ifts,  as  the  Reformers  of  the  fixteenth 
century  were  driven  to  be  by  their  po- 


Tranjlator. 


lix 


fition,  and  not  men  of  fcience  exclu- 
lively,  as  the  mafters  of  modern  phi- 
lofophy  in  Germany  were  and  are. 
Although  moft  of  them  friars,  or  lay- 
men conneded  with  the  religious  or- 
ders of  the  time,  they  were  men  of  the 
people  and  men  of  adion.  They 
preached  the  faving  faith  to  the  people 
in  churches,  in  hofpitals,  in  the  ftreets 
and  public  places.  In  the  ftrength  of 
this  faith,  Tauler,  when  he  had  been 
already  for  years  the  univerfal  objecll 
of  admiration  as  a  theologian  and 
preacher  through  all  the  free  cities  on 
the  Rhine,  from  Bafle  to  Cologne, 
humbled  himfelf,  and  remained  filent 
for  the  fpace  of  two  years,  after  the 
myfterious  layman  had  fhown  him  the 
infufficiency  of  his  fcholaftic  learning 
and  preaching.  In  the  ftrength  of  this 
faith,  he  braved  the  Pope's  Interdid:, 
and  gave  the  confolations  of  religion 


Ix  Letter  to  the 


to  the  people  of  Strafburg,  during  the 
dreadful  plague  which  depopulated  that 
flourifliing  city.  For  this  faith,  Eckart 
fuffered  with  patience  flander  and  per- 
fecution,  as  formerly  he  had  borne  with 
meeknefs,  honours  and  praife.  For 
this  faith,  Nicolaus  of  Bafle,  who  fat 
down  as  a  humble  ftranger  at  Tauler's 
feet  to  become  the  inftrument  of  his 
real  enlightenment,  died  a  martyr  in 
the  flames.  In  this  fenfe,  the  "  Friends 
of  God''  were,  like  the  Apoftles,  men 
of  the  people  and  practical  Chriftians, 
while  as  men  of  thought,  their  ideas 
contributed  powerfully  to  the  great 
eflx)rts  of  the  European  nations  in  the 
fixieenth  century. 

Let  me,  therefore,  my  dear  friend, 
lay  afide  all  philofophical  and  theologi- 
cal terms,  and  ftate  the  principle  of  the 
golden  book  which  you  are  juft  prefent- 
ing  to  the  Englifli  public,  in  what  I 


T^ranjlator.  Ixi 


confider,  with  Luther,  the  beft  Theo- 
logical exponent,  in  plain  Teutonic, 
thus : — 


Sin  is  felfifhnefs: 

Godlinefs  is  unfelfifhnefs : 

A  godly  life  is  the  fteadfaft  work- 


ing out  of  inward  freenefs  from 
felf: 

To  become  thus  godlike  is  the 
bringing  back  of  man's  firft  na- 
ture. 

On  this  laft  point, — man's  divine 
dignity  and  deftiny, — Tauler  fpeaks  as 
ftrongly  as  our  author,  and  almoft  as 
ftrongly  as  the  Bible.  Man  is  indeed 
to  him  God's  own  image.  "As  a 
fculptor,"  he  fays  fomewhere,  with  a 
ftriking  range  of  mind  for  a  monk  of 
the  fourteenth  century,***  is  faid  to  have 
exclaimed  indignantly  on  feeing  a  rude 
block  of  marble,  *what  a  godlike  beau- 
ty thou  hideft!'  thus  God  looks  upon 


Ixii  Letter  to  the 


man  in  whom  God's  own  image  is  hid- 
den,'* '*We  may  begin,"  he  fays  in  a 
kindred  paffage,  '*by  loving  God  in 
hope  of  reward,  we  may  exprefs  our- 
felves  concerning  Him  in  fymbols  {Bil- 
der)y  but  we  muft  throw  them  all  away, 
and  much  more  we  muft  fcorn  all  idea 
of  reward,  that  we  may  love  God  only 
becaufe  He  is  the  Supreme  Good,  and 
contemplate  His  eternal  nature  as  the 
real  fubftance  of  our  own  foul." 

But  let  no  one  imagine  that  thefe 
men,  although  doomed  to  paffivenefs 
in  many  refpe(fls,  thought  a  contem- 
plative or  monkifti  life  a  condition  of 
fpiritual  Chriftianity,  and  not  rather  a 
danger  to  it.  "If  a  man  truly  loves 
God,"  fays  Tauler,  "and  has  no  will 
but  to  do  God"^  will,  the  whole  force 
of  the  river  Rhine  may  run  at  him  and 
will  not  difturb  him  or  break  his  peace; 
if  we  find  outward  things  a  danger  and 


TranJJator. 


Ixiii 


difturbance,  it  comes  from  our  appro- 
priating to  ourfelves  what  is  God's." 
But  Tauler,  as  well  as  our  Author,  ufes 
the  ftrongeft  language  to  exprefs  his 
horror  of  Sin,  man's  own  creation,  and 
their  view  on  this  fubjed;  forms  their 
great  contrail:  to  the  philofophers  of  the 
Spinoziflic  fchool.  Among  the  Re- 
formers, Luther  ftands  neareft  to  them, 
with  refped:  to  the  great  fundamental 
points  of  theological  teaching,  but  their 
intenfe  dread  of  Sin  as  a  rebellion 
againft  God,  is  fhared  both  by  Luther 
and  Calvin.  Among  later  theologians, 
Julius  Muller,  in  his  profound  Eflay  on 
Sin,  and  Richard  Rothe,  in  his  great 
work  on  Chriftian  Ethics,  come  neareft 
to  them  in  depth  of  thought  and  ethi- 
cal earneftnefs,  and  the  firft  of  thefe 
eminent  writers  carries  out,  as  it  ap- 
pears to  me,  moft  confiftently  that  fun- 
damental truth  of  the  Theoloma  Ger- 


Ixiv         Letter  to  the 


manica  that  there  is  no  fin  but  Selfifh- 
nels,  and  that  all  Selfiflinefs  is  fin. 

Such  appear  to  me  to  be  the  char- 
adleriftics  of  our  book  and  of  Tauler. 
I  may  be  allowed  to  add,  that  this  fmall 
but  golden  Treatife  has  been  now  for 
almoft  forty  years,  an  unfpeakable  com- 
fort to  me  and  to  many  Chriftian friends 
(moft  of  whom  have  already  departed 
in  peace),  to  whom  I  had  the  happinefs 
of  introducing  it.  May  it  in  your  ad- 
mirably faithful  and  lucid  tranflation 
become  a  real  "book  for  the  million" 
in  England,  a  privilege  which  it  alrea- 
dy fhares  in  Germany  with  Tauler*s 
matchlefs  Sermons,  of  which  I  rejoice 
to  hear  that  you  are  making  a  feledlion 
for  publication.  May  it  become  a 
bleffing  to  many  a  longing  Chriftian 
heart  in  that  dear  country  of  yours, 
which  I  am  on  the  point  of  leaving, 
after  many  happy  years  of  refidence. 


Tranjlator. 


Ixv 


but  on  which  I  can  never  look  as  a 
ftrange  land  to  me,  any  more  than  I 
fhall  ever  conlider  myfelf  as  a  ftranger 
in  that  home  of  old  Teutonic  liberty 
and  energy,  w^hich  I  have  found  to  be 
alfo  the  home  of  Practical  Chriftianity 
and  of  warm  and  faithful  affedtion. 

BUNSEN. 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 


Chap.  I. — Of  that  which  is  perfeft  and  that  which 
is  in  part,  and  how  that  which  is  in  part  is 

•     done  away,  when  that  which  is  perfeft  is  come 

Chap.  II. — Of  what  Sin  is,  and  how  we  are  not  to 
take  unto  ourfelves  any  good  Thing,  feeing 
that  it  belongeth  unto  the  true  Good  alone  . 

Chap.  III. — How  Man's  Fall  and  his  going  aftray 
muft  be  healed  as  Adam's  Fall  was  healed 

Ch^p.  IV. — How  Man,  when  he  claimeth  any 
good  Thing  for  his  own,  falleth,  and  toucheth 
God  in  his  honour  

Chap.  V. — How  we  are  to  take  that  Saying,  that 
we  muft  come  to  be  without  Wifdom,  Will, 
Love,  Defire,  Knowledge,  and  the  like     ,  . 

Chap.  VI. — How  that  which  is  beft  and  nobleft 
fhould  alfo  be  loved  above  all  Things  by  us, 
merely  becaufc  it  is  the  beft  

Chap.  VII. — Of  the  Eyes  of  the  Spirit,  wherewith 
Man  looketh  into  Eternity  and  into  Time, 
and  how  the  one  is  hindered  of  the  other  in  its 
working  

Chap.  VIII.— How  the  Soul  of  Man,  while  it  is 
yet  in  the  Body,  may  obtain  a  Foretafte  of 
eternal  Bleffednefs    ....    ^   ...  . 


Contents. 


Ixvii 


Chap.  IX. — How  it  is  better  and  more  profitable 
for  a  Man  that  he  (hould  perceive  what  God 
will  do  with  him,  and  to  what  end  He  will 
make  ufe  of  him,  than  if  he  knew  all  that 
God  had  ever  wrought,  or  would  ever  work 
through  all  the  Creatures ;  and  how  Blelfednefs 
lieth  alone  in  God,  and  not  in  the  Creatures, 
or  in  any  Works  24 

Chap.  X. — How  the  perfeft  Men  have  no  other 
Defire  than  that  they  may  be  to  the  Eternal 
Goodnefs  what  his  Hand  is  to  a  Man :  and 
how  they  have  loft  the  Fear  of  Hell,  and  Hope 
of  Heaven   28 

Chap.  XI. — How  a  righteous  Man- in  this  prefent 
Time  is  brought  into  Hell,  and  there  cannot 
be  comforted,  and  how  he  is  taken  out  of  Hell 
and  carried  into  Heaven,  and '  there  cannot  be 
troubled  32 

Chap.  XII. — Touching  that  True,  inward  Peace, 

which  Chrift  left  to  his  Difciples  at  the  laft    .  37 

Chap.  XIII. — How  a  man  may  caft  afide  images 
too  foon  

Chap.  XIV.— Of  three  Stages  by  which  a  Man  is 

led  upwards  till  he  attaineth  true  Perfeaion   .  42 

Chap.  XV.— How  all  Men  are  dead  in  Adam  and 
made  alive  in  Chrift,  and  of  true  Obedience 
and  Difobedience     .    ,    ,    ,  4^ 

Chap.  XVI.— Telleth  us  what  is  the  old  Man, 

and  what  is  the  new  Man  47 

Chap.  XVII. — How  we  are  not  to  take  unto  our- 
felves  what  we  have  done  well,  but  only  what 
we  have  done  amifs  


♦ 


Ixviii  Contents. 


Chap.  XVIII.— How  the  Life  of  Chrift  is  the 
nobleft  and  beft  Life  that  ever  hath  been  or  can 
be,  and  how  a  carelefs  Life  of  falfe  Freedom  is 
the  worft  Life  that  can  be  57 

Chap.  XIX. — How  we  cannot  come  to  the  true 
Light  and  Chrift's  Life,  by  much  Queftioning 
or  Reading,  or  by  high  natural  Skill  and  Rea- 
fon,  but  by  truly  renouncing  ourfelves  and  all 
Things  60 

Chap.  XX. — How,  feeing  that  the  Life  of  Chrift 
is  moft  bitter  to  Nature  and  Self,  Nature  will 
have  none  of  it,  and  choofeth  a  falfe  carelefs 
Life,  as  is  moft  convenient  to  herfelf     ...  62 

Chap.  XXI.— How  a  Friend  of  Chrift  willingly 
fulfilleth  by  his  outward  Works,  fuch  Things 
as  muft  be  and  ought  to  be,  and  doth  not*con- 
cern  himfelf  with'^he  reft  64. 

Chap.  XXII. — How  fometimes  the  Spirit  of  God, 
and  fometimes  alfo  the  Evil  Spirit  may  poflefs 
a  Man  and  have  the  Maftery  over  him  ...  66 

Chap.  XXIII  — How  he  who  will  fubmit  himfelf 
to  God  and  be  obedient  to  Him,  muft  be  ready 
to  bear  with  all  Things  j  to  wit,  God,  himfelf, 
and  all  Creatures,  and  muft  be  obedient  to  them 
all,  whether  he  have  to  fuffer  or  to  do  .    .    .  70 

Chap.  XXIV. — How  that  four  Things  are  needful 
before  a  Man  can  receive  divine  Truth  and  be 
poftefled  with  the  Spirit  of  God  73 

Chap.  XXV. — Of  two  evil  Fmits  that  do  fpring 
up  from  the  Seed  of  the  Evil  Spirit,  and  are 
two  Siltei>,  ,A'ho  love  to  dwell  together.  The 
one  is  called  fpiritual  Pride  and  Ilighminded- 
nefs.  and  the  other  i<!  ^alfe,  lawlefs  Freedom  76 


4 


Contents.  Ixix 


Page 


Chap.  XXVI. — Touching  Poornefs  of  Spirit  and 
true  Humility,  and  whereby  we  may  difcern  the 
true  and  lawful  free  Men,  whom  the  Truth 
hath  made  free  80 

Chap.  XXVII. — How  we  are  to  take  Chrift's 
Words  when  he  bade  us  forfake  all  Things ; 
and  wherein  the  Union  with  the  Divine  Will 
ftandeth  89 

Chap.  XXVIII. — How,  after  a  Union  with  the 
Divine  Will,  the  inward  Man  ftandeth  im- 
moveable, but  the  outward  Man  is  moved 
hither  and  thither  *.    .    ,    .  91 

Chap.  XXIX. — How  a  Man  may  not  attain  fo 
high  before  Death  as  not  to  be  touched  and 
moved  by  outward  Things  93 

Chap.  XXX. — On  what  wife  we  may  come  to  be 
beyond  and  above  all  Cuftom,  Order,  Law, 
Precepts,  and  the  like  96 

Chap.  XXXI. — How  we  are  not  to  caft  off  the 
Life  of  Chrift,  but  praftife  it  diligently,  and 
walk  in  it  until  Death  '  .    .  99 

Chap.  XXXII. — How  God  is  a  true,  fimple,  per- 
fe6l  Good,  and  how  He  is  a  Light  and  a  Rea- 
fon  and  all  Virtues,  and  how  what  is  higheft 
and  beft,  that  is,  God,  ought  to  be  moft  loved 
by  us  102 


Chap.  XXXIII. — How  when  a  Man  is  made  truly 
godlike,  his  Love  is  pure  and  unmixed,  and  he 
loveth  all  Creatures,  and  doth  his  beft  for  them  107 

Chap.  XXXIV. — How  that  if  a  Man  will  attain 
unto  that  which  is  beft,  he  muft  forfwear  his 
own  Will  J  and  how  he  who  helpeth  a  Man 


Ixx  Contents. 


Page 

to  his  own  "Will  helpeth  him  to  the  "wofil 
Thing  he  can  no 

Chap.  XXXV. — How  there  is  deep  and  true  Hu- 
mility and  Poomefs  of  Spirit  in  a  Man  who  is 
made  a  Partaker  of  the  Divine  Nature  .    ,    .  113 

Chap.  XXXVI  — How  nothing  is  contrary  to  God 

but  Sin  only ;  and  what  Sin  is  in  Kind  and  Aft  116 

Chap.  XXXVII.— How  in  God,  as  God,  there 
can  neither  be  Grief,  Sorrow,  Difpleafurc,  nor 
the  like,  but  how  it  is  otherwife  with  a  Man 
who  is  made  a  Partaker  of  the  Divine  Nature  119 

Chap.  XXXVIIk — How  we  are  to  put  on  the  Life 
of  Chrift  from  Love,  and  not  for  the  fake  of 
Reward,  and  how  we  muft  never  grow  carelefs 
concerning  it,  or  caft  it  off  \^% 

Chap.  XXXIX.— How  God  will  have  Order,  Cuf- 
tom,  Meafure,  and  the  like  in  the  Creature, 
feeing  that  he  cannot  have  them  without  the 
Creature,  and  of  four  forts  of  Men  who  are 
concerned  with  this  Order,  Law  and  Cuftom  .  125 

Chap.  XL.— »-A  good  Account  of  the  Falfe  Light 

and  its  Kind  129 

Chap.  XLI. — How  he  that  is  to  be  called  and  is 
truly  a  Partaker  of  the  Divine  Nature,  who  is 
illuminated  with  the  Divine  Light,  and  inflam- 
ed with  Eternal  Love,  and  how  Light  and 
Knowledge  are  worth  nothing  without  Love  .  141 

Chap.  XLII. — A  Queftion:  whethei  it  be  poflible 
to  know  God  and  not  love  Him  j  and  how 
there  are  two  kinds  of  Light  and  Love,  a  true 
and  a  falfe  '45 


Contents.  Ixxi 


Page 

Chap.  XLIII. — Whereby  we  may  know  a  Man 
who  is  a  Partaker  of  the  Divine  Nature,  and 
what  belongeth  unto  him ;  and  further,  what 
is  the  token  of  a  Falfe  Light  and  a  Falfe  Free- 
Thinker  151 

Chap.  XLIV. — How  nothing  is  contrary  to  God 
but  Self-will,  and  how  he  who  feeketh  his  own 
Good  for  his  own  fake  findeth  it  not ;  and  how 
a  Man  of  himfelf  neither  knoweth  nor  can  do 
any  good  Thing  160 

Chap.  XLV. — How  that  where  there  is  a  Chriftian 
life,  Chrift  dwelleth,  and  how  Chrift's  Life  is 
the  beft  and  moft  admirable  Life  that  ever  hath 
been  or  can  be  J  64 

Chap.  XLVI. — How  entire  Satisfa6lion  and  true 
Reft  are  to  be  found  in  God  alone,  and  not  in 
any  Creature  j  and  how  he  who  will  be  obedient 
to  God,  muft  be  obedient  to  the  Creatures  with 
all  Quietnefs,  and  he  who  would  love  God, 
muft  love  all  Things  in  One  166 

Chap.  XLVII.— A  Queftion:  Whether  if  we 
ought  to  love  all  Things,  we  ought  to  love  Sin 
alfo  ?  169 

Chap.  XLVIII. — How  we  muft  believe  certain 
Things  of  God's  Truth  beforehand,  ere  we  can 
come  to  a  True  Knowledge  and  Experience 
thereof  171 

Chap.  XLIX  —Of  Self-will,  and  how  Lucifer  and 

Adam  fell  away  from  God  through  Self-will  .  172 

Chap.  L. — How  this  prefent  Time  is  a  Paradife 
and  Outer  Court  of  Heaven,  and  how  therein 


Ixxii  Contents. 


Page 

there  Is  only  one  Tree  forbidden;  that  is,  Self- 
will   173 

Chap.  LI. — Wherefore  God  hath  created  Self-will, 

feeing  that  it  is  fo  contrary  to  Him  .    .    .    .  175 

Chap.  LII. — How  we  muft  take  that  Saying  of 
Chrift- :  "  No  Man  cometh  unto  the  Father  but 
by  me"  187 

Chap.  LIII. — Confidereth  that  other  Saying  of 
Chrift:  "No  man  can  come  unto  me  except 
the  Father  which  hath  fent  me  draw  him  "  .191 

Chap.  LIV. — How  a  Man  fhall  not  feek  his  own, 
cither  in  Things  fpiritual  or  natural,  but  the 
Honour  of  God  only ;  and  how  he  muft  enter 
in  by  the  right  Door,  to  wit,  by  Chrift,  into 
Eternity    ,  199 


0 


Theologia  Germanica. 
CHAPTER  I. 

Of  that  which  is  ferfe5l  and  that  which  is 
in  part,  and  how  that  which  is  in  part  is 
done  away^  when  that  which  is  perfect  is 
come, 

OT.  PAUL  faith,  "When  that  which 
*^is  perfed;  is  come,  then  that  which 
is  in  part  fhall  be  done  away/'*  Now 
mark  what  is  "  that  which  is  perfedt," 
and  **that  which  is  in  part." 

"That  which  is  perfedt"  is  a  Being, 
who  hath  comprehended  and  included 
all  things  in  Himfelf  and  His  own  Sub- 
ftance,  and  without  whom,  and  befide 
whom,  there  is  no  true  Subftance,  and 

*  I  Cor.  xiii.  lo. 


2       Theologia  Germanica. 


in  whom  all  things  have  their  Subftance. 
For  he  is  the  Subftance  of  all  things, 
and  is  in  Himfelf  unchangeable  and 
immoveable,  and  changeth  and  moveth 
all  things  elfe.  But  that  which  is  in 
part,"  or  the  imperfedt,  is  that  which 
hath  its  fource  in,  or  fpringeth  from 
the  Perfed:;  juft  as  a  brightnefs  or  a 
vifible  appearance  floweth  out  from  the 
fun  or  a  candle,  and  appeareth  to  be 
fomewhat  this  or  that.  And  it  is  called 
a  creature;  and  of  all  thefe  things 
which  are  in  part,"'  none  is  the  Perfed:. 
So  alfo  the  Perfed:  is  none  of  the 
things  which  are  in  part.  The  things 
which  are  in  part  can  be  apprehended, 
known,  and  expreffed;  but  the  Perfed: 
cannot  be  apprehended,  known,  or 
expreffed  by  any  creature  as  creature. 
Therefore  we  do  not  give  a  name  to 
the  Perfed:,  for  it  is  none  of  thefe. 
The  creature  as  creature  cannot  know 
nor  apprehend  it,  name  nor  conceive  it. 
"  Now  when  that  which  is  Perfed: 


Theologia  Germanica.  3 


is  come,  then  that  which  is  in  part 
fhall  be  done  away."  But  when  doth 
it  come?  I  fay,  when  as  much  as  may 
be,  it  is  known,  felt  and  tafted  of  the 
foul.  [For  the  lack  lieth  altogether 
in  us,  and  not  in  it.  In  like  manner 
the  fun  lighteth  the  whole  world,  and 
is  as  near  to  one  as  another,  yet  a  blind 
man  feeth  it  not ;  but  the  fault  thereof 
lieth  in  the  blind  man,  not  in  the  fun. 
And  like  as  the  fun  may  not  hide  its 
brightnefs,  but  muft  give  light  unto 
the  earth  (for  heaven  indeed  draweth 
its  light  and  heat  from  another  foun- 
tain), fo  alfo  God,  who  is  the  higheft 
Good,  willeth  not  to  hide  Himfelf 
from  any,  wherefoever  He  findeth  a 
devout  foul,  that  is  thoroughly  purified 
from  all  creatures.  For  in  what  meaf- 
ure  we  put  off  the  creature,  in  the  fame 
meafure  are  we  able  to  put  on  the 
Creator;  neither  more  nor  lefs.  For 
if  mine  eye  is  to  fee  anything,  it  muft 
be  fingle,  or  elfe  be  purified  from  all 


4       Theologia  Germanica. 


other  things ;  and  where  heat  and 
light  enter  in,  cold  and  darknefs  muft 
needs  depart;  it  cannot  be  otherwife.] 

But  one  might  fay,  "Now  fince  the 
Perfect  cannot  be  known  nor  appre- 
hended of  any  creature,  but  the  foul  is 
a  creature,  how  can  it  be  known  by 
the  foul  Anfwer  :  This  is  why  we 
fay,  "  by  the  foul  as  a  creature,  "  We 
mean  it  is  impoflible  to  the  creature  in 
virtue  of  its  creature-nature  and  quali- 
ties, that  by  which  it  faith  "  I "  and 

myfelf."  For  in  whatfoever  creature 
the  Perfect  fhall  be  known,  therein  crea- 
ture-nature, qualities,  the  I,  the  Self  and 
the  like,  muft  all  be  loft  and  done  away. 
This  is  the  meaning  of  that  faying  of 
St.  Paul :  "  When  that  which  is  perfect 
is  come,"  (that  is,  when  it  is  known,) 

then  that  which  is  in  part "  (to  wit, 
creature-nature, qualities,  the  I,  the  Self, 
the  Mine)  will  be  defpifed  and  counted 
for  nought.  So  long  as  we  think  much 
of  thefe  things,  cleave  to  them  with 


heologia  Germanica.  5 


love,  joy,  pleafure  or  defire,  fo  long  re- 
maineth  the  Perfed:  unknown  to  us. 

But  it  might  further  be  faid,  "Thou 
fayest,  belide  the  Perfedt  there  is  no  Sub- 
ftance,  yet  fayeft  again  that  fomewhat 
floweth  out  from  it :  now  is  not  that 
which  hath  flowed  out  from  it,  fome- 
thing  befide  it?"  Anfwer :  This  is  why 
we  fay,  befide  it,  or  without  it,  there 
is  no  true  Subftance.  That  which  hath 
flowed  forth  from  it,  is  no  true  Sub- 
fiance,  and  hath  no  Subfl:ance  except 
in  the  perfeft,  but  is  an  accident,  or  a 
brightnefs,or  a  vifible  appearance,  which 
is  no  Subftance,  and  hath  no  Subftance 
except  in  the  fire  whence  thebrightnefs 
flowed  forth, fuch  as  the  fun  or  a  candle. 


6       Theologia  Germanica. 


CHAP.  II. 

Of  what  Sin  iSy  and  how  we  muft  not  take 
unto  ourf elves  any  good  'Things  feeing  that 
it  helongeth  unto  the  true  Good  alone, 

'npHE  Scripture  and  the  Faith  and 
the  Truth  fay,  Sin  is  nought 
elfe,  but  that  the  creature  turneth 
away  from  the  unchangeable  Good 
and  betaketh  itfelf  to  the  changeable  ; 
that  is  to  fay,  that  it  turneth  away  from 
the  Perfedt,  to  "that  which  is  in  part" 
and  imperfed:,  and  moft  often  to  itfelf. 
Now  mark :  when  the  creature  claim- 
eth  for  its  own  anything  good,  fuch  as 
Subftance,  Life,  Knowledge,  Power, 
and  in  fhort  whatever  we  fhould  call 
good,  as  if  it  were  that,  or  pofTelTed 
that,  or  that  were  itfelf,  or  that  pro- 
ceeded from  it, — as  often  as  this  Com- 
eth to  pafs,  the  creature  goeth  aftray. 
What  did  the  devil  do  elfe,  or  what 


Theologia  Germanica.  7 


was  his  going  aftray  and  his  fall  elfe, 
but  that  he  claimed  for  himfelf  to  be 
alfo  fomewhat,  and  would  have  it  that 
fomewhat  was  his,  and  fomewhat  was 
due  to  him?  This  fetting  up  of  a  claim 
and  his  I  and  Me  and  Mine,  thefe  were 
his  going  aftray,  and  his  fall.  And 
thus  it  is  to  this  day. 


CHAP.  III. 

'  How  Man's  Fall  and  going  aftray  muft  he 
\  amended  as  Adam's  Fail  was, 

\       TX7hat  elfe  did  Adam  do  but  this 
fame  thing?    It  is  faid,  it  was 
becaufe  Adam  ate  the  apple  that  he 
was  loft,  or  fell.    I  fay,  it  was  becaufe 
of  his  claiming  fomething  for  his  own, 
I      and  becaufe  of  his  I,  Mine,  Me,  and 
I       the  like.    Had  he  eaten  feven  apples, 
and  yet  never  claimed  anything  for  his 
own,  he  would  not  have  fallen:  but 
as  foon  as  he  called  fomething  his  own, 

i  '  


8       Theologia  Germantca. 


he  fell,  and  would  have  fallen  if  he 
had  never  touched  an  apple.  Behold! 
I  have  fallen  a  hundred  times  more 
often  and  deeply,  and  gone  a  hundred 
times  farther  aftray  than  Adam;  and 
not  all  mankind  could  amend  his  fall, 
or  bring  him  back  from  going  aftray. 
But  how  fhall  my  fall  be  amended  ? 
It  muft  be  healed  as  Adam's  fall  was 
healed,  and  on  the  felf-fame  wife.  By 
whom,  and  on  what  wife  was  that 
healing  brought  to  pafs  ?  Mark  this  : 
man  could  not  without  God,  and  God 
fhould  not  without  man.  Wherefore 
God  took  human  nature  or  manhood 
upon  himfelf  and  was  made  man,  and 
man  was  made  divine.  Thus  the  heal- 
ing was  brought  to  pafs.  So  alfo  muft 
my  fall  be  healed.  I  cannot  do  the 
work  without  God,  and  God  may  not 
or  will  not  without  me  ;  for  if  it  fhall 
be  accomplifhed,  in  me,  too,  God  muft 
be  made  man;  in  fuch  fort  that  God 
muft  take  to  himfelf  all  that  is  in  me. 


"Theologia  Germanica,  9 


within  and  without,  fo  that  there  may 
be  nothing  in  me  which  ftriveth  againft 
God  or  hindereth  his  work.  Now  if 
God  took  to  himfelf  all  men  that  are 
in  the  world,  or  ever  were,  and  were 
made  man  in  them,  and  they  were  made 
divine  in  him,  and  this  work  were  not 
fulfilled  in  me,  my  fall  and  my  wander- 
ing would  never  be  amended  except  it 
were  fulfilled  in  me  alfo.  And  in  this 
bringing  back  and  healing,  I  can,  or 
may,  or  fhall  do  nothing  of  myfelf,  but 
juft  simply  yield  to  God,  fo  that  He 
alone  may  do  all  things  in  me  and  work, 
and  I  may  fufll'er  him  and  all  his  work 
and  his  divine  will.  And  becaufe  I 
will  not  do  fo,  but  I  count  myfelf  to  be 
my  own,  and  fay,  **mine,"  ''me'' 
and  the  like,  God  is  hindered,  fo  that 
he  cannot  do  his  work  in  me  alone  and 
without  hindrance  ;  for  this  caufe  my 
fall  and  my  going  aftray  remain  un- 
healed. Behold !  this  all  cometh  of 
my  claiming  fomewhat  for  my  own. 


I  o     'Theologia  Germanica. 


CHAP.  IV. 

How  Man^  when  he  claimeth  any  good  'Thing 
for  his  own,  falleth,  and  toucheth  God  in 
his  Honour. 

/^OD  faith,  "I  will  not  give  my 
^""^  glory  to  another."*  This  is  as 
much  as  to  fay,  that  praife  and  honour 
and  glory  belong  to  none  but  to  God 
only.  But  now,  if  I  call  any  good 
thing  my  own,  as  if  I  were  it,  or  of 
myfelf  had  power  or  did  or  knew  any- 
thing, or  as  if  anything  were  mine  or 
of  me,  or  belonged  to  me,  or  were  due 

^  to  me  or  the  like,  I  take  unto  myfelf 
fomewhat  of  honour  and  glory,  and 
do  two  evil  things  :  Firft,  I  fall  and 
go  artray  as  aforefaid:  Secondly,  I 
touch  God  in  his  honour  and  take 

.  unto  myfelf  what  belongeth  to  God 

*  Ifaiah,  xlii.  8. 


Theologia  Ger7nanka.      1 1 

only.  For  all  that  muft  be  called  good 
belongeth  to  none  but  to  the  true  eter- 
nal Goodnefs  which  is  God  only,  and 
whofo  taketh  it  unto  himfelf,  com- 
mitteth  unrighteoufnefs  and  is  againft 
God. 


CHAP.  V. 

How  we  are  to  take  that  Sayings  that  we  muft 
come  to  be  without  Will,  JVi/dom^  Love, 
Deftre,  Knowledge,  and  the  like, 

/CERTAIN  men  fay  that  we  ought 
to  be  without  will,  wifdom,  love, 
delire,  knowledge,  and  the  like.  Here- 
by is  not  to  be  underftood  that  there  is 
to  be  no  knowledge  in  man,  and  that 
God  is  not  to  be  loved  by  him,  nor 
defired  and  longed  for,  nor  praifed  and 
honoured;  for  that  were  a  great  lofs, 
and  man  were  like  the  beafls  [and  as 
the  brutes  that  have  no  reafon.]  But 
it   meaneth    that    man's  knowledge 


12      Theolo^ia  Germanica. 


fhould  be  fo  clear  and  perfed:  that  he 
fhould  acknowledge  of  a  truth  [that 
in  himfelf  he  neither  hath  nor  can  do 
any  good  thing,  and  that  none  of  his 
knowledge,  wifdom  and  art,  his  will, 
love  and  good  works  do  come  from 
himfelf,  nor  are  of  man,  nor  of  any 
creature,  but]  that  all  thefe  are  of  the 
eternal  God,  from  whom  they  all  pro- 
ceed. [As  Chrift  himfelf  faith, With- 
out me,  ye  can  do  nothing."*  St. 
Paul  faith  alfo,  ''What  haft  thou  that 
thou  haft  not  received  ?'*'f'  As  much 
as  to  fay — nothing.  *'Now  if  thou 
didft  receive  it,  why  doft  thou  glory  as 
if  thou  hadft  not  received  it?"  Again 
he  faith,  ''Not  that  we  are  fufficient 
of  ourfelves  to  think  anything  as  of 
ourfelves,  but  our  fufficiency  is  of 
God."  X\  Now  when  a  man  duly  per- 
ceiveth  thefe  things  in  himfelf,  he  and 
the  creature  fall  behind,  and  he  doth 
not  call  anything  his  own,  and  the  lefs 

•  John  XV.  5.        fx  Cor.  iv.  7.        |  2  Cor.  iii.  5. 


T'heologia  Gerinanica,  13 

he  taketh  this  knowledge  unto  him- 
felf,  the  more  perfect  doth  it  become. 
So  alfo  is  it  with  the  will,  and  love 
and  defire,  and  the  hke.  For  the  lefs 
we  call  thefe  things  our  own,  the  more 
perfed;  and  noble  and  godlike  do  they 
become,  and  the  more  we  think  them 
our  own,  the  bafer  and  lels  pure  and 
perfed:  do  they  become. 

Behold  on  this  fort  muft  we  caft  all 
things  from  us,  and  ftrip  ourfelves  of 
them;  we  muft  refrain  from  claiming 
anything  for  our  own.  When  we  do 
this,  we  fhall  have  the  beft,  fulleft, 
cleareft  and  nobleft  knowledge  that  a 
man  can  have,  and  alfo  the  nobleft  and 
pureft  love,  will  and  defire;  for  then 
thefe  will  be  all  of  God  alone.  It  is 
much  better  that  they  fhould  be  God's 
than  the  creature's.  Now  that  I  afcribe 
anything  good  to  myfelf,  as  if  I  were, 
or  had  done,  or  knew,  or  could  perform 
any  good  thing,  or  that  it  were  mine, 
this  is  all  of  fin  and  folly.    For  if  the 


14      Theologia  Gerjnantca. 


truth  were  rightly  known  by  me,  I 
fhould  alfo  know  that  I  am  not  that 
good  thing  and  that  it  is  not  mine,  nor 
of  me,  and  that  I  do  not  know  it,  and 
cannot  do  it,  and  the  Uke.  If  this 
came  to  pafs,  I  fhould  needs  ceafe  to 
call  anything  my  own. 

It  is  better  that  God,  or  his  works, 
fhould  be  known,  as  far  as  it  be  pofii- 
ble  to  us,  and  loved,  praifed  and  ho- 
noured, and  the  like,  and  even  that  man 
fhould  but  vainly  imagine  he  loveth 
or  praifeth  God,  than  that  God  fhould 
be  altogether  unpraifed,  unloved,  un- 
honoured  and  unknown.  For  when 
the  vain  imagination  and  ignorance 
are  turned  into  an  underftanding  and 
knowledge  of  the  truth,  the  claiming 
anything  for  our  own  will  ceafe  of  it- 
felf.  Then  the  man  fays:  Behold! 
I,  poor  fool  that  I  was,  imagined  it 
was  I,  but  behold!  it  is,  and  was,  of  a 
truth,  God!" 


Theologia  Germanica.  15 


CHAP.  VI. 

How  that  which  is  heft  and  nohleft  JJiould  alfo 
he  loved  ahove  all  Things  hy  us^  merely  he- 
cauje  it  is  the  heft, 

A  MASTER  called  Boetius  faith, 
"  It  is  of  fin  that  we  do  not  love 
that  which  is  beft.  He  hath  fpoken 
the  truth.  That  which  is  beft  fhould 
be  the  deareft  of  all  things  to  us;  and 
in  our  love  of  it,  neither  helpfulnefs 
nor  unhelpfulnefs,  advantage  nor  inju- 
ry, gain  nor  lofs,  honour  nor  dishonour, 
praife  nor  blame,  nor  anything  of  the 
kind  fhould  be  regarded;  but  what  is 
in  truth  the  nobleft  and  beft  of  all 
things,  fhould  be  alfo  the  deareft  of 
all  things,  and  that  for  no  other  caufe 
than  that  it  is  the  nobleft  and  beft. 

Hereby  may  a  man  order  his  life 
within  and  without.     His  outward 


1 6      TheoloQ-ia  Germanica. 


life:  for  among  the  creatures  one  is 
better  than  another,  according  as  the 
Eternal  Good  manifefteth  itfelf  and 
worketh  more  in  one  than  in  another. 
Now  that  creature  in  which  the  Eter- 
nal Good  moft  manifefteth  itfelf,  fhi- 
neth  forth,  worketh,  is  moft  known 
and  loved,  is  the  beft,  and  that  where- 
in the  Eternal  Good  is  leaft  manifefted 
is  the  leaft  Good  of  all  creatures. 
Therefore  when  we  have  to  do  with 
the  creatures,  and  hold  converfe  with 
them,  and  take  note  of  their  diverfe 
qualities,  the  beft  creatures  muft  al- 
ways be  the  deareft  to  us,  and  we  muft 
cleave  to  them,  and  unite  ourfelves  to 
them,  above  all  to  thofe  which  we 
attribute  to  God  as  belonging  to  him 
or  divine,  fuch  as  wifdom,  truth,  kind- 
nefs,  peace,  love,  juftice,  and  the  like. 
Hereby  ftiall  we  order  our  outward 
man,  and  all  that  is  contrary  to  thefe 
virtues  we  muft  efchew  and  flee  from. 
But  if  our  inward  man  were  to  make 


Theologia  Germanica.  17 


a  leap  and  fpring  into  the  Perfed:,  we 
fhould  find  and  tafte  how  that  the  Per- 
fed:  is  without  meafure,  number  or 
end,  better  and  nobler  than  all  which 
is  imperfed:  and  in  part,  and  the  Eter- 
nal above  the  temporal  or  perifhable, 
and  the  fountain  and  fource  above  all 
that  floweth  or  can  ever  flow  from  it. 
Thus  that  which  is  imperfedl  and  in 
part  would  become  taftelefs  and  be  as 
nothing  to  us.  Be  affured  of  this:  All 
that  we  have  faid  muft  come  to  pafs 
if  we  are  to  love  that  which  is  nobleft, 
higheft  and  beft. 


1 8      Theologia  Germanica. 


CHAP.  VII. 

Of  the  Eyes  of  the  Sprit  wherewith  Man 
looketh  into  Eternity  and  into  Time,  and 
how  the  one  is  hindered  of  the  other  in  its 
Working, 

T  ET  us  remember  how  it  is  written 
^  and  faid  that  the  foul  of  Chrift  had 
two  eyes,  a  right  and  a  left  eye.  In 
the  beginning,  when  the  foul  of  Chrift 
was  created,  fhe  fixed  her  right  eye 
upon  eternity  and  the  Godhead,  and 
remained  in  the  full  intuition  and  en- 
joyment of  the  Divine  EfTence  and 
Eternal  Perfed:ion;  and  continued  thus 
unmoved  and  undifturbed  by  all  the 
accidents  and  travail,  fuffering,  torment 
and  pain  that  ever  befell  the  outward 
man.  But  with  the  left  eye  fhe  beheld 
the  creature  and  perceived  all  things 
therein,  and  took  note  of  the  difference 


Theologia  Germanica.  19 


between  the  creatures,  which  were 
better  or  worfe,  nobler  or  meaner; 
and  thereafter  was  the  outward  man 
of  Chrift  ordered. 

Thus  the  inner  man  of  Chrift,  ac- 
cording to  the  right  eye  of  his  foul, 
ftood  in  the  full  exercife  of  his  divine 
nature,  in  perfed:  bleffednefs,  joy  and 
eternal  peace.  But  the  outward  man 
and  the  left  eye  of  Chrift's  foul,  ftood 
with  him  in  perfedl  fuffering,  in  all 
tribulation,  affliction  and  travail ;  and 
this  in  fuch  fort  that  the  inward  and 
right  eye  remained  unmoved,  unhin- 
dered and  untouched  by  all  the  travail, 
fuffering,  grief  and  anguifh  that  ever 
befell  the  outward  man.  It  hath  been 
faid  that  when  Chrift  was  bound  to  the 
pillar  and  fcourged,  and  when  he  hung 
upon  the  crofs,  according  to  the  out- 
ward man,  yet  his  inner  man,  or  foul 
according  to  the  right  eye,  ftood  in  as 
full  poffeffion  of  divine  joy  and  bleffed- 
nefs  as  it  did  after  his  afcenlion,  or  as 


20      Theolo^ia  Germanica. 


it  doth  now.  In  like  manner  his  out- 
ward man,  or  foul  with  the  left  eye, 
was  never  hindered,  difturbed  or  trou- 
bled by  the  inward  eye  in  its  contem- 
plation of  the  outward  things  that 
belonged  to  it. 

Now  the  created  foul  of  man  hath 
alfo  two  eyes.  The  one  is  the  power 
of  feeing  into  eternity,  the  other  of 
feeing  into  time  and  the  creatures,  of 
perceiving  how  they  differ  from  each 
other  as  aforefaid,  of  giving  life  and 
needful  things  to  the  body,  and  order- 
ing and  governing  it  for  the  beft.  But 
thefe  two  eyes  of  the  foul  of  man  can- 
not both  perform  their  work  at  once  ; 
but  if  the  foul  fhall  fee  with  the  right 
eye  into  eternity,  then  the  left  eye  muft 
clofe  itfelf  and  refrain  from  working, 
and  be  as  though  it  were  dead.  For 
if  the  left  eye  be  fulfilling  its  office 
toward  outward  things;  that  is,  hold- 
ing converfe  with  time  and  the  crea- 
tures ;  then  muft  the  right  eye  be  hin- 


"Theologta  Germanica.     2 1 

dered  in  its  working;  that  is,  in  its 
contemplation.  Therefore  whofoever 
will  have  the  one  muft  let  the  other 
go;  for  *'no  man  can  ferve  two  maf- 
ters." 


CHAP.  VIII. 

How  the  Soul  of  Marly  while  it  is  yet  in  the 
Body,  may  obtain  a  foretafte  of  eternal 
Blejfednefs, 

TT  hath  been  afked  whether  it  be 
poffible  for  the  foul,  while  it  is  yet 
in  the  body,  to  reach  fo  high  as  to  caft 
a  glance  into  eternity,  and  receive  a 
foretafte  of  eternal  life  and  eternal 
bleifednefs.  This  is  commonly  denied ; 
and  truly  fo  in  a  fenfe.  For  it  indeed 
cannot  be  fo  long  as  the  foul  is  taking 
heed  to  the  body,  and  the  things  which 
minifter  and  appertain  thereto,  and  to 
time  and  the  creature,  and  is  difturbed 
and  troubled  and  diftradted  thereby. 


22      Theolo^ia  Germanica. 


For  if  the  foul  fliall  rife  to  fuch  a  ftate, 
fhe  muft  be  quite  pure,  wholly  ftripped 
and  bare  of  all  images,  and  be  entirely 
feparate  from  all  creatures,  and  above 
all  from  herfelf.  Now  many  think 
this  is  not  to  be  done  and  is  impoflible 
in  this  prefent  time.  But  St.  Dyony- 
fius  maintains  that  it  is  poflible,  as  we 
find  from  his  words  in  his  Epiftle  to 
Timothy,  where  he  faith:  '*For  the 
beholding  of  the  hidden  things  of  God, 
fhalt  thou  forfake  fenfe  and  the  things 
of  the  flefh,  and  all  that  the  fenfes  can 
apprehend,  and  that  reafon  of  her  own 
powers  can  bring  forth,  and  all  things 
created  and  uncreated  that  reafon  is 
able  to  comprehend  and  know,  and 
fhalt  take  thy  ftand  upon  an  utter 
abandonment  of  thyfelf,  and  as  know- 
ing none  of  the  aforefaid  things,  and 
enter  into  union  with  him  who  is,  and 
who  is  above  all  exiftence  and  all 
knowledge."  Now  if  he  did  not  hold 
this  to  be  poflible  in  this  prefent  time. 


hgia  Germanica.  23 


why  fhould  he  teach  it  and  enjoin  it 
on  us  in  this  prefent  time?  But  it 
behoveth  you  to  know  that  a  mafter 
hath  faid  on  this  palTage  of  St.  Dy- 
onyfius,  that  it  is  poffible,  and  may 
happen  to  a  man  often,  till  he  become 
fo  accuftomed  to  it,  as  to  be  able  to 
look  into  eternity  whenever  he  will. 
[For  when  a  thing  is  at  firft  very  hard 
to  a  man  and  ftrange,  and  feemingly 
quite  impoffible,  if  he  put  all  his 
ftrength  and  energy  into  it,  and  per- 
fevere  therein,  that  will  afterward  grow 
quite  light  and  eafy,  which  he  at  firft 
thought  quite  out  of  reach,  feeing  that 
it  is  of  no  ufe  to  begin  any  work,  un- 
lefs  it  may  be  brought  to  a  good  end.] 
And  a  fingle  one  of  thefe  excellent 
glances  is  better,  worthier,  higher  and 
more  pleafing  to  God,  than  all  that  the 
creature  can  perform  as  a  creature. 
[And  as  foon  as  a  man  turneth  him- 
felf  in  fpirit,  and  with  his  whole  heart 
and  mind  entereth  into  the  mind  of 
g 


24      Theologia  Germanica. 


God  which  is  above  time,  all  that  ever 
he  hath  loft  is  reftored  in  a  moment. 
And  if  a  man  were  to  do  thus  a  thou- 
fand  times  in  a  day,  each  time  a  frefli 
and  real  union  would  take  place ;  and 
in  this  fweet  and  divine  work  ftandeth 
the  trueft  and  fulleft  union  that  may 
be  in  this  prefent  time.  For  he  who 
hath  attained  thereto,  afketh  nothing 
further,  for  he  hath  found  the  Kingdom 
of  Heaven  and  Eternal  Life  on  earth.] 


CHAP.  IX. 

How  it  is  better  and  more  "profitable  for  a 
Man  that  he  Jhould  -perceive  what  God 
will  do  with  him,  or  to  what  end  He  will 
make  life  of  him,  than  if  he  knew  all  that 
God  had  ever  wrought,  or  would  ever  work 
through  all  the  Creatures ;  and  how  Blejf- 
ednefs  lieth  alone  in  God,  and  not  in  the 
Creatures,  or  in  any  IVorks, 

TXT'E  fhould  mark  and  know  of  a 
very  truth  that  all  manner  of 
virtue  and  goodnefs,  and  even  that 


Theologia  Germanica.  25 


Eternal  Good  which  is  God  Himfelf, 
can  never  make  a  man  virtuous,  good, 
or  happy,  fo  long  as  it  is  outfide  the 
foul ;  [that  is,  fo  long  as  the  man  is 
holding  converfe  with  outward  things 
through  his  fenfes  and  reafon,  and  doth 
not  withdraw  into  himfelf  and  learn  to 
underftand  his  own  life,  who  and  what 
he  is.]  The  like  is  true  of  fin  and 
evil.  [For  all  manner  of  fin  and  wick- 
ednefs  can  never  make  us  evil,  fo  long 
as  it  is  outfide  of  us ;  that  is,  fo  long 
as  we  do  not  commit  it,  or  do  not  give 
confent  to  it.] 

Therefore  although  it  be  good  and 
profitable  that  we  fhould  alk,  and  learn 
and  know  what  good  and  holy  men 
have  wrought  and  fufi^ered,  and  how 
God  hath  dealt  with  them,  and  what 
he  hath  wrought  in  and  through  them, 
yet  it  were  a  thoufand  times  better  that 
we  fhould  in  ourfelves  learn  and  per- 
ceive and  underftand,  who  we  are,  how 
and  what  our  own  life  is,  what  God  is 


26      Theologia  Germantca. 

and  is  doing  in  us,  what  he  will  have 
from  us,  and  to  what  ends  he  will  or 
will  not  make  ufe  of  us.  [For,  of  a 
truth,  thoroughly  to  know  onefelf,  is 
above  all  art,  for  it  is  the  higheft  art. 
If  thou  knowefl  thyfelf  well,  thou  art 
better  and  more  praifeworthy  before 
God,  than  if  thou  didft  not  know  thy- 
felf, but  didft  underftand  the  courfe  of 
the  heavens  and  of  all  the  planets  and 
ftars,  alfo  the  virtue  of  all  herbs,  and 
the  ftrudlure  and  difpofitions  of  all 
mankind,  alfo  the  nature  of  all  beafts, 
and,  in  fuch  matters,  hadft  all  the  fkill 
of  all  who  are  in  heaven  and  on  earth. 
For  it  is  faid,  there  came  a  voice  from 
heaven,  faying,  '^Man,  know  thyfelf. "J 
Thus  that  proverb  is  ftill  true,  going 
out  were  never  fo  good,  but  ftaying  at 
home  were  much  better." 

Further,  ye  fhould  learn  that  eternal 
blelTednefs  lieth  in  one  thing  alone,  and 
in  nought  elfe.  And  if  ever  man  or 
the  foul  is  to  be  made  bleffed,  that  one 


T'heologia  Ger7?ianica,  27 


thing  alone  muft  be  in  the  foul.  Now 
fome  might  afk,  **But  what  is  that 
one  thing?"  I  anfwer,  it  is  Goodnefs, 
or  that  which  hath  been  made  good, 
and  yet  neither  this  good  nor  that, 
which  we  can  name,  or  perceive  or 
fhow;  but  it  is  all  and  above  all  good 
things. 

Moreover,  it  needeth  not  to  enter 
into  the  foul,  for  it  is  there  already, 
only  it  is  unperceived.  When  we  fay 
we  fhould  come  unto  it,  we  mean  that 
we  fhould  feek  it,  feel  it,  and  tafte  it. 
And  now  fince  it  is  One,  unity  and 
finglenefs  is  better  than  manifoldnefs. 
For  blelTednefs  lieth  not  in  much  and 
many,  but  in  One  and  onenefs.  In  one 
word,  bleifednefs  lieth  not  in  any  crea- 
ture, or  work  of  the  creatures,  but  it 
lieth  alone  in  God  and  in  his  works. 
Therefore  I  muft  wait  only  on  God 
and  his  work,  and  leave  on  one  fide  all 
creatures  with  their  works,  and  firft  of 
all  myfelf.  In  like  manner  all  the  great 


28      Theologia  Germanica. 

works  and  wonders  that  God  has  ever 
wrought  or  fhall  ever  work  in  or 
through  the  creatures,  or  even  God 
himfelf  with  all  his  goodness,  fo  far  as 
thefe  things  exift  or  are  done  outfide 
of  me,  can  never  make  me  bleffed,  but 
only  in  fo  far  as  they  exift  and  are  done 
and  loved,  known,  tafted  and  felt  with- 
in me. 


CHAP.  X. 

How  the  perfe^  Men  have  no  other  Defire 
than  that  they  may  he  to  the  Eternal  Good- 
nejs  what  his  Hand  is  to  a  Man,  and  how 
they  have  loft  the  Fear  of  Hell,  and  Hop 
of  Heaven, 

"^OW  let  us  mark  :  Where  men 
are  enlightened  with  the  true 
light,  they  perceive  that  all  which 
they  might  defire  or  choofe,  is  nothing 
to  that  which  all  creatures,  as  crea- 
tures, ever  defired  or  chofe  or  knew. 
Therefore  they  renounce  all  defire  and 


ia  Germanica.  29 


choice,  and  commit  and  commend 
themfelves  and  all  things  to  the  Eter- 
nal Goodnefs.  Neverthelefs,  there 
remaineth  in  them  a  defire  to  go  for- 
ward and  get  nearer  to  the  Eternal 
Goodnefs;  that  is,  to  come  to  a  clearer 
knowledge,  and  warmer  love,  and  more 
comfortable  affurance,  and  perfed:  obe- 
dience and  fubjecflion ;  fo  that  every 
enlightened  man  could  fay  :  I  would 
fain  be  to  the  Eternal  Goodnefs,  what 
his  own  hand  is  to  a  man."  And  he 
feareth  always  that  he  is  not  enough 
fo,  and  longeth  for  the  falvation  of  all 
men.  And  fuch  men  do  not  call  this 
longing  their  own,  nor  take  it  unto 
themfelves,  for  they  know  well  that 
this  defire  is  not  of  man,  but  of  the 
Eternal  Goodnefs ;  for  whatfoever  is 
good  fhall  no  one  take  unto  himfelf  as 
his  own,  feeing  that  it  belongeth  to 
the  Eternal  Goodnefs  only. 

Moreover,  thefe  men  are  in  a  ftate 
of  freedom,  becaufe  they  have  loft  the 


30      Theologia  Gernianka. 


fear  of  pain  or  hell,  and  the  hope  of 
reward  or  heaven,  but  are  living  in 
pure  fubmiffion  to  the  Eternal  Good- 
nefs,  in  the  perfe6l  freedom  of  fervent 
love.  This  mind  was  in  Chrift  in 
perfedlion,  and  is  alfo  in  his  followers, 
in  fome  more  and  in  fome  lefs.  But 
it  is  a  forrow  and  fhame  to  think  that 
the  Eternal  Goodnefs  is  ever  moft  gra- 
cioufly  guiding  and  drawing  us,  and 
we  will  not  yield  to  it.  What  is  bet- 
ter and  nobler  than  true  poornefs  in 
fpirit  ?  Yet  when  that  is  held  up  be- 
fore us,  we  will  have  none  of  it,  but 
are  always  feeking  ourfelves,  and  our 
own  things.  [We  like  to  have  our 
mouths  always  filled  with  good  things,] 
that  we  may  have  in  ourfelves  a  lively 
tafte  of  pleafure  and  fweetnefs.  When 
this  is  fo,  we  are  well  pleafed,  and 
think  it  ftandeth  not  amifs  with  us. 
[But  we  are  yet  a  long  way  off  from  a 
perfedl  life.  For  when  God  will  draw 
us  up  to  fomething  higher,  that  is,  to 


"Theoloo-ia  Germanica.  31 


an  utter  lofs  and  forfaking  of  our  own 
things,  fpiritual  and  natural,  and  with- 
draweth  his  comfort  and  fweetnefs 
from  us,  we  faint  and  are  troubled, 
and  can  in  no  wife  bring  our  minds  to 
it ;  and  we  forget  God  and  negled: 
holy  exercifes,  and  fancy  we  are  loft 
for  ever.]  This  is  a  great  error  and  a 
bad  fign.  For  a  true  lover  of  God, 
loveth  him  or  the  Eternal  Goodnefs 
alike,  in  having,  and  in  not  having,  in 
fweetnefs  and  bitternefs,  in  good  or 
evil  report,  and  the  like,  for  he  feek- 
eth  alone  the  honour  of  God,  and  not 
his  own,  either  in  fpiritual  or  natural 
things.  And  therefore  he  ftandeth 
alike  unfhaken  in  all  things,  at  all  fea- 
fons.  [Hereby  let  every  man  prove 
himfelf,  how  he  ftandeth  towards  God, 
his  Creator  and  Lord.] 


32      Theologia  Germanica. 


CHAP.  XI. 

How  a  righteous  Man  in  this  prefent  time  is 
brought  into  Hell,  and  there  cannot  he  com- 
forted, and  how  he  is  taken  out  of  Hell 
and  carried  into  Heaven,  and  there  cannot 
be  troubled, 

/CHRIST'S  foul  muft  needs  defcend 
into  hell,  before  it  afcended  into 
heaven.  So  muft  alfo  the  foul  of  man. 
But  mark  ye  in  what  manner  this  Com- 
eth to  pafs.  When  a  man  truly  per- 
ceiveth  and  confidereth  himfelf,  who 
and  what  he  is,  and  findeth  himfelf 
utterly  vile  and  wicked,  and  unworthy 
of  all  the  comfort  and  kindnefs  that 
he  hath  ever  received  from  God,  or 
from  the  creatures,  he  falleth  into  fuch 
a  deep  abafement  and  defpiiing  of  him- 
felf, that  he  thinketh  himfelf  unwor- 
thy that  the  earth  fhould  bear  him,  and 


Theologia  Germanica.  33 


it  feemeth  to  him  reafonable  that  all 
creatures  in  heaven  and  earth  fhould 
rife  up  againft  him  and  avenge  their 
Creator  on  him,  and  fhould  punifh  and 
torment  him ;  and  that  he  were  un- 
worthy even  of  that.  And  it  feemeth 
to  him  that  he  fhall  be  eternally  lofl 
and  damned,  and  a  footltool  to  all  the 
devils  in  hell,  and  that  this  is  right  and 
juft,  [and  all  too  little  compared  to  his 
fins  which  he  fo  often  and  in  fo  many 
ways  hath  committed  againft  God  his 
Creator.]  And  therefore  alfo  he  will 
not  and  dare  not  defire  any  confolation 
or  releafe,  either  from  God  or  from 
any  creature  that  is  in  heaven  or  on 
earth ;  but  he  is  willing  to  be  uncon- 
foled  and  unreleafed,  and  he  doth  not 
grieve  over  his  condemnation  and  fuf- 
ferings;  for  they  are  right  and  juft, 
and  not  contrary  to  God,  but  accord- 
ing to  the  will  of  God.  Therefore 
they  are  right  in  his  eyes,  and  he  hath 
nothing  to  fay  againft  them.  Nothing 


34      Theologia  Germanica. 

grieveth  him  but  his  own  guilt  and 
wickednefs  ;  for  that  is  not  right  and 
is  contrary  to  God,  and  for  that  caufe 
he  is  grieved  and  troubled  in  fpirit. 

This  is  what  is  meant  by  true  re- 
pentance for  fin.  And  he  who  in  this 
prefent  time  entereth  into  this  hell,  en- 
tereth  afterward  into  the  Kingdom  of 
Heaven,  and  obtaineth  a  foretafte  there- 
of which  excelleth  all  the  delight  and 
joy  which  he  ever  hath  had  or  could 
have  in  this  prefent  time  from  tempo- 
ral things.  But  whilft  a  man  is  thus 
in  hell,  none  may  confole  him,  neither 
God  nor  the  creature,  as  it  is  written 
''In  hell  there  is  no  redemption."* 
Of  this  ftate  hath  one  faid,  *'Let  me 
perifh,  let  me  die !  I  live  without  hope ; 
from  within  and  from  without  I  am 
condemned,  let  no  one  pray  that  I  may 
be  releafed." 

Now  God  hath  not  forfaken  a  man 
in  this  hell,  but  He  is  laying  His  hand 

*  The  writer  is  probably  alluding  to  Pf.  xlix.  8. 


Theologia  Germanica.  35 

upon  him,  that  the  man  may  not  defire 
nor  regard  anything  but  the  Eternal 
Good  only,  and  may  come  to  knov/ 
that  that  is  fo  noble  and  paffing  good, 
that  none  can  fearch  out  or  exprefs  its 
blifs,  confolation  and  joy,  peace,  reft, 
and  fatisfadtion.  And  then,  when  the 
man  neither  careth  for,  nor  feeketh 
nor  defireth,  anything  but  the  Eternal 
Good  alone,  and  feeketh  not  himfelf, 
nor  his  own  things,  but  the  honour  of 
God  only,  he  is  made  a  partaker  of 
all  manner  of  joy,  blifs,  peace,  reft  and 
confolation,  and  fo  the  man  is  hence- 
forth in  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven. 

This  hell  and  this  heaven  are  two 
good,  fafe  ways  for  a  man  in  this  pre- 
fent  time,  and  happy  is  he  who  truly 
findeth  them. 

For  this  hell  ftiall  pafs  away, 
But  Heaven  ftiall  endure  for  aye. 

Alfo  let  a  man  mark,  when  he  is  in 
this  hell,  nothing  may  confole  him  : 
and  he  cannot  believe  that  he  fhall  ever 


36      Theologia  Germanka, 


be  releafed  or  comforted.  But  when 
he  is  in  heaven,  nothing  can  trouble 
him ;  he  beHeveth  alfo  that  none  will 
ever  be  able  to  oiFend  or  trouble  him, 
albeit  it  is  indeed  true,  that  after  this 
hell  he  may  be  comforted  and  releafed, 
and  after  this  heaven  he  may  be  trou- 
bled and  left  without  confolation. 

Again :  this  hell  and  this  heaven 
come  about  a  man  in  fuch  fort,  that  he 
knoweth  not  whence  they  come  ;  and 
whether  they  come  to  him,  or  depart 
from  him,  he  can  of  himfelf  do  nothing 
towards  it.  Of  thefe  things  he  can 
neither  give  nor  take  away  from  him- 
felf, bring  them  nor  banifli  them,  but 
as  it  is  written,  **The  wind  bloweth 
where  it  lifleth,  and  thou  heareft  the- 
found  thereof,"  that  is  to  fay,  at  this 
time  prefent,  **but  thou  knoweft  not 
whence  it  cometh,  nor  whither  it  go- 
eth."*  And  when  a  man  is  in  one  of 
thefe  two  ftates,  all  is  right  with  him, 

*  John  iii.  8. 


"Theologia  Germanica.  37 

and  he  is  as  fafe  in  hell  as  in  heaven, 
and  fo  long  as  a  man  is  on  earth,  it  is 
poffible  for  him  to  pafs  ofttimes  from 
the  one  into  the  other ;  nay  even  v^ith- 
in  the  fpace  of  a  day  and  night,  and 
all  without  his  own  doing.  But  when 
the  man  is  in  neither  of  thefe  two 
ftates  he  holdeth  converfe  with  the 
creature,  and  wavereth  hither  and 
thither,  and  knoweth  not  what  man- 
ner of  man  he  is.  Therefore  he  fhall 
never  forget  either  of  them,  but  lay 
up  the  remembrance  of  them  in  his 
heart. 


CHAP.  XII. 

touching  that  true  inward  Peace^  which 
Chrift  left  to  his  Dijciples  at  the  laft, 

IV/FANY  fay  they  have  no  peace  nor 
reft,  but  fo  many  crofTes  and  tri- 
als, afflid:ions  and  forrows,  that  they 
know  not  how  they  fliall  ever  get 
through  them.    Now  he  who  in  truth 


38      Theologia  Germanica. 


will  perceive  and  take  note,  perceiveth 
clearly,  that  true  peace  and  reft  lie  not 
in  outward  things;  for  if  it  were  fo, 
the  Evil  Spirit  alfo  would  have  peace 
when  things  go  according  to  his  will, 
[which  is  nowife  the  cafe;  for  the 
prophet  declareth  "There  is  no  peace, 
faith  my  God,  to  the  wicked."  *]  And 
therefore  we  muft  confider  and  fee 
what  is  that  peace  which  Chrift  left  to 
his  difciples  at  the  laft,  when  he  faid  : 
"My  peace  I  leave  with  you,  my  peace 
I  give  unto  you/'-f-  [We  may  per- 
ceive that  in  thefe  words  Chrift  did 
not  mean  a  bodily  and  outward  peace ; 
for  his  beloved  difciples,  with  all  his 
friends  and  followers,  have  ever  fuffer- 
ed,  from  the  beginning,  great  affliction, 
perfecution,  nay,  often  martyrdom,  as 
Chrift  himfelf  faid:  "In  this  world 
ye  fhall  have  tribulation."  X  Chrift 
meant  that  true,  inward  peace  of  the 


*  Ifaiah  Ivli.  21.  f  John  xlv.  27. 

J  John  xvi.  33. 


Theologia  Germanka.  39 


heart,  which  beginneth  here  and  en- 
dureth  for  ever  hereafter.  Therefore 
he  faid]:  "not  as  the  world  giveth/' 
for  the  world  is  falfe,  and  deceiveth  in 
her  gifts;  [fhe  promifeth  much,  and 
performeth  little.  Moreover  there 
liveth  no  man  on  earth  who  may  al- 
ways have  reft  and  peace  without  trou- 
bles and  croiTes,  with  whom  things 
always  go  according  to  his  will ;  there 
is  always  fome thing  to  be  fuffered  here, 
turn  which  way  thou  wilt.  And  as 
foon  as  thou  art  quit  of  one  alTault, 
perhaps  two  come  in  its  place.  Where- 
fore yield  thyfelf  willingly  to  them, 
and  feek  only  that  true  peace  of  the 
heart,  which  none  can  take  away  from 
thee,  that  thou  mayeft  overcome  all 
affaults.] 

Thus  then,  Chrift  meant  that  inward 
peace  which  can  break  through  all 
aflaults  and  crofTes  of  oppreffion,  fuf- 
fering,  mifery,  humiliation  and  what 
more  there  may  be  of  the  like,  fo  that 
h 


40      T*heologia  Germanka. 


a  man  may  be  joyful  and  patient  there- 
in, like  the  beloved  difciples  and  fol- 
lowers of  Chrift.  Now  he  who  will 
in  love  give  his  whole  diligence  and 
might  thereto,  will  verily  come  to 
know  that  true  eternal  peace  which  is 
God  Himfelf,  as  far  as  it  is  poffible  to 
a  creature;  [infomuch  that  what  was 
bitter  to  him  before,  fhall  become 
fweet,  and  his  heart  fhall  remain  un- 
moved under  all  changes,  at  all  times, 
and  after  this  life,  he  fhall  attain  unto 
everlafting  peace.] 


CHAP.  XIIL 

How  a  man  may  caft  afide  Images  too  Joon, 

'T^AULER  faith:  there  be  fome 
^  men  at  the  prefent  time,  who 
take  leave  of  types  and  fymbols  too 
foon,  before  they  have  drawn  out  all  the 
truth  and  inftrudion  contained  there- 
in."   Hence  they  are  fcarcely  or  per,- 


T'heologia  Germanka,  41 


haps  never  able  to  underfland  the  truth 
aright.*  [For  fuch  men  will  follow 
no  one,  and  lean  unto  their  own  un- 
derftandings,  and  delire  to  fly  before 
they  are  fledged.  They  would  fain 
mount  up  to  heaven  in  one  flight ;  al- 
beit Chrifl:  did  not  fo,  for  after  his 
refurre6lion,  he  remained  full  forty 
days  with  his  beloved  difciples.  No 
one  can  be  made  perfed:  in  a  day.  A 
man  muft  begin  by  denying  himfelf, 
and  willingly  forfaking  all  things  for 
God's  fake,  and  muft  give  up  his  own 
will,  and  all  his  natural  inclinations, 
and  feparate  and  cleanfe  himfelf  thor- 
oughly from  all  fins  and  evil  ways. 
After  this,  let  him  humbly  take  up  the 
crofs  and  follow  Chrift.  Alfo  let  him 
take  and  receive  example  and  inftruc- 
tion,  reproof,  counfel  and  teaching  from 

*  Here  Luther's  Edition  has  the  following  paflage  in- 
ftead  of  the  remainder  of  this  chapter:  therefore  we 
fhould  at  all  times  give  diligent  heed  to  the  works  of  God 
and  his  commandments,  raovings  and  admonitions,  and 
not  to  the  works  or  commandments  or  admonitions  of 
men." 


42      Theologia  Ger7nanica, 


devout  and  perfe6t  fervants  of  God,  and 
not  follow  his  own  guidance.  Thus 
the  work  fhall  be  eftablifhed  and  come 
to  a  good  end.  And  when  a  man  hath 
thus  broken  loofe  from  and  outleaped 
all  temporal  things  and  creatures,  he 
may  afterwards  become  perfect  in  a 
life  of  contemplation.  For  he  who 
will  have  the  one  muft  let  the  other 
go.    There  is  no  other  way.] 


CHAP.  XIV. 

Of  three  Stages  by  which  a  Man  is  led  up- 
wards till  he  attaineth  true  Perfections 

'^['OW  be  affured  that  no  one  can 
be  enlightened  unlefs  he  be  firft 
cleanfed  or  purified  and  ftripped.  So 
alfo,  no  one  can  be  united  with  God 
unlefs  he  be  firft  enlightened.  Thus 
ther.e  are  three  ftages  :  firft,  the  puri- 
fication; fecondly,  the  enlightening; 
thirdly,  the  union.    [The  purification 


Theologia  Germantca.  43 

concerneth  thofe  who  are  beginning 
or  repenting,  and  is  brought  to  pafs  in 
a  threefold  wife;  by  contrition  and 
forrow  for  fin,  by  full  confeflion,  by 
hearty  amendment.  The  enlightening 
belongeth  to  fuch  as  are  growing,  and 
alfo  taketh  place  in  three  ways:  to 
wit,  by  the  efchewal  of  fin,  by  the 
practice  of  virtue  and  good  works,  and 
by  the  willing  endurance  of  all  man- 
ner of  temptation  and  trials.  The 
union  belongeth  to  fuch  as  are  perfed:, 
and  alfo  is  brought  to  pafs  in  three 
ways  :  to  wit,  by  purenefs  and  fingle- 
nefs  of  heart,  by  love,  and  by  the  con- 
templation of  God,  the  Creator  of  all 
things.] 


44      Theologia  Germanica. 


CHAP.  XV. 

How  all  Men  are  dead  in  Adam  and  are  made 
alive  again  in  Chrijly  and  of  true  Obedience 
and  Di/obedience. 

A  LL  that  in  Adam  fell  and  died, 
was  raifed  again  and  made  alive 
in  Chrift,  and  all  that  rofe  up  and  was 
made  alive  in  Adam,  fell  and  died  in 
Chrift.  But  what  was  that?  I  an- 
fwer,  true  obedience  and  difobedience. 
But  what  is  true  obedience  ?  I  anfwer, 
that  a  man  fhould  fo  ftand  free,  being 
quit  of  himfelf,  that  is,  of  his  I,  and 
Me,  and  Self,  and  Mine,  and  the  like, 
that  in  all  things,  he  fhould  no  more 
feek  or  regard  himfelf,  than  if  he  did 
not  exift,  and  fhould  take  as  little  ac- 
count of  himfelf  as  if  he  were  not, 
and  another  had  done  all  his  works. 
Likewife  he  fhould  count  all  the  crea- 


Theologia  Ger?nanica.  45 


tures  for  nothing.  What  is  there  then, 
which  is,  and  which  we  may  count 
for  fomewhat?  I  anfwer,  nothing  but 
that  which  we  may  call  God.  Behold! 
this  is  very  obedience  in  the  truth,  and 
thus  it  will  be  in  a  bleffed  eternity. 
There  nothing  is  fought  nor  thought 
of,  nor  loved,  but  the  one  thing  only. 

Hereby  we  may  m.ark  what  difobe- 
dience  is  :  to  wit,  that  a  man  maketh 
fome  account  of  himfelf,  and  thinketh 
that  he  is,  and  knoweth,  and  can  do 
fomewhat,  and  feeketh  himfelf  and  his 
own  ends  in  the  things  around  him, 
and  hath  regard  to  and  lovcth  himfelf, 
and  the  like.  Man  is  created  for  true 
obedience,  and  is  bound  of  right  to 
render  it  to  God.  And  this  obedience 
fell  and  died  in  Adam,  and  rofe  again 
and  lived  in  Chrift.  Yea,  ChrilVs 
human  nature  was  fo  utterly  bereft  of 
Self,  and  apart  from  all  creatures,  as  no 
man's  ever  was,  and  was  nothing  elfe 
but  *'a  houfe  and  habitation  of  God." 


4-6      TheoloQ-'ia  Ger?nanica. 


Neither  of  that  in  him  which  belonged 
to  God,  nor  of  that  which  was  a  Hving 
human  nature  and  a  habitation  of  God, 
did  he,  as  man,  claim  any  thing  for 
his  own.  His  human  nature  did  not 
even  take  unto  himfelf  the  Godhead, 
whofe  dwelling  it  was,  nor  any  thing 
that  this  fame  Godhead  willed,  or  did 
or  left  undone  in  him,  nor  yet  any 
thing  of  all  that  his  human  nature  did 
or  fuffered ;  but  in  Chrift's  human  na- 
ture there  was  no  claiming  of  any 
thing,  nor  feeking,  nor  defire,  faving 
that  what  was  due  might  be  rendered 
to  the  Godhead,  and  he  did  not  call 
this  very  defire  his  own.  Of  this  mat- 
ter no  more  can  be  faid  or  written  here, 
for  it  is  unfpeakable,  and  was  never 
yet  and  never  will  be  fully  uttered;  for 
it  can  neither  be  fpoken  nor  written 
but  by  Him  who  is  and  knows  its 
ground ;  that  is,  God  Himfelf,  who 
can  do  all  things  well. 


heologta  Germanka.  47 


CHAP.  XVI. 


Telleth  us  what  is  the  old  Man,  and  what  is 


GAIN,  when  we  read  of  the  old 


man  and  the  new  man  we  muft 
mark  what  that  meaneth.  The  old 
man  is  Adam  and  difobedience,  the 
Self,  the  Me,  and  fo  forth.  But  the 
new  man  is  Chrifl:  and  true  obedience, 
[a  giving  up  and  denying  onefelf  of  all 
temporal  things,  and  feeking  the  hon- 
our of  God  alone  in  all  things.]  And 
when  dying  and  perifhing,  and  the  like 
are  fpoken  of,  it  meaneth  that  the  old 
man  fhould  be  deftroyed,  and  not  feek 
its  own  either  in  fpiritual  or  in  natural 
things.  For  where  this  is  brought  about 
in  a  true  divine  light,  there  the  new 
man  is  born  again.  In  like  manner, 
it  hath  been  faid  that  man  fhould  die 


the  new  Man, 


48      Theologia  Germanica. 


unto  himfelf,  [that  is,  to  earthly  pleaf- 
ures,  confolations,  joys,  appetites,  the 
I,  the  Self,  and  all  that  is  thereof  in 
man,  to  which  he  clingeth  and  on 
which  he  is  yet  leaning  with  content, 
and  thinketh  much  of.  Whether  it 
be  the  man  himfelf,  or  any  other  crea- 
ture, whatever  it  be,  it  muft  depart 
and  die,  if  the  man  is  to  be  brought 
aright  to  another  mind,  according  to 
the  truth.] 

Thereunto  doth  St.  Paul  exhort  us, 
faying:  **Put  off  concerning  the  for- 
mer converfation  the  old  man,  which 
is  corrupt,  according  to  the  deceitful 
lufts:  ....  and  that  ye  put 
on  the  new  man,  which  after  God  is 
created  in  righteoufnefs  and  true  holi- 
nefs."  *  Now  he  who  liveth  to  him- 
felf after  the  old  man,  is  called  and  is 
truly  a  child  of  Adam  ;  and  though  he 
may  give  diligence  to  the  ordering  of 
his  life,  he  is  ftill  the  child  and  brother 

*  Ephefians  iv.  22.  24. 


ia  Germanica.  49 


of  the  Evil  Spirit.  But  he  who  liveth 
in  humble  obedience  and  in  the  new 
man  which  is  Chrift,  he  is,  in  like 
manner,  the  brother  of  Chrift  and  the 
child  of  God. 

Behold !  where  the  old  man  dieth 
and  the  new  man  is  born,  there  is  that 
fecond  birth  of  which  Chrift  faith. 
Except  a  man  be  born  again,  he  can- 
not enter  into  the  kingdom  of  God."  * 
Likewife  St.  Paul  faith;  "As  in  Adam 
all  die,  even  fo  in  Chrift  ftiall  all  be 
,made  alive. "-f*  That  is  to  fay,  all  who 
follow  Adam  in  pride,  in  luft  of  the 
flefli,  and  in  difobedience,  are  dead  in 
foul,  and  never  will  or  can  be  made 
alive  but  in  Chrift.  And  for  this  caufe, 
fo  long  as  a  man  is  an  Adam  or  his 
child,  he  is  without  God.  Chrift  faith, 
"he  who  is  not  with  me  is  againft 
me. "J  Now  he  who  is  againft  God, 
is  dead  before  God.    Whence  it  fol- 


John  iii.  3.  f  i  Cor.  xv.  22, 

X  Matt.  xii.  30. 


50      Theologia  Germanica. 


loweth  that  all  Adam's  children  are 
dead  before  God.  But  he  who  ftandeth 
with  Chrift  in  perfed;  obedience,  he  is 
with  God  and  liveth.  As  it  hath  been 
faid  already,  fin  lieth  in  the  turning 
away  of  the  creature  from  the  Creator, 
which  agreeth  with  what  we  have  now 
faid. 

For  he  who  is  in  difobedience  is  in 
fin,  and  fin  can  never  be  atoned  for  or 
healed  but  by  returning  to  God,  and 
this  is  brought  to  pafs  by  humble  obe- 
dience. For  fo  long  as  a  man  conti- 
nueth  in  difobedience,  his  fin  can  never 
be  blotted  out ;  let  him  do  what  he 
will,  it  availeth  him  nothing.  Let  us 
be  afliired  of  this.  For  difobedience 
is  itfelf  fin.  But  when  a  man  entereth 
into  the  obedience  of  the  faith,  all  is 
healed,  and  blotted  out  and  forgiven, 
and  not  elfe.  Infomuch  that  if  the 
Evil  Spirit  himfelf  could  come  into 
true  obedience,  he  would  become  an 
angel  again,  and  all  his  fin  and  wicked- 


Theologia  Germanka.  51 


nefs  would  be  healed  and  blotted  out 
and  forgiven  at  once.  And  could  an 
angel  fall  into  difobedience,  he  would 
ftraightway  become  an  evil  fpirit  al- 
though he  did  nothing  afrefh. 

If  then  it  were  poflible  for  a  man  to 
renounce  himfelf  and  all  things,  and  to 
live  as  wholly  and  purely  in  true  obe- 
dience, as  Chrift  did  in  his  human  na- 
ture, fuch  a  man  were  quite  without 
lin,  and  were  one  thing  with  Chrift, 
and  the  fame  by  grace  which  Chrift 
was  by  nature.  But  it  is  faid  this  can- 
not be.  So  alfo  it  is  faid  :  "there  is 
none  without  fin."  But  be  that  as  it 
may,  this  much  is  certain ;  that  the 
nearer  we  are  to  perfedt  obedience,  the 
lefs  we  fin,  and  the  farther  from  it  we 
are,  the  more  we  fin.  In  brief :  whe- 
ther a  man  be  good,  better,  or  beft  of 
all ;  bad,  worfe,  or  worft  of  all ;  finful 
or  faved  before  God ;  it  all  lieth  in  this 
matter  of  obedience.  Therefore  it  hath 
been  faid :  the  more  of  Self  and  Me,  the 


52      Theologia  Germanica. 

more  of  fin  and  wickednefs.  So  like- 
wife  it  hath  been  faid:  the  more  the 
Self,  the  I,  the  Me,  the  Mine,  that  is, 
felf-feeking  and  felfifhnefs  abate  in  a 
man,  the  more  doth  God's  I,  that  is, 
God  Himfelf,  increafe  in  him. 

Now,  if  all  mankind  abode  in  true 
obedience,  there  would  be  no  grief  nor 
forrow.  For  if  it  were  fo,  all  men 
would  be  at  one,  and  none  would  vex 
or  harm  another;  fo  alfo,  none  would 
lead  a  life  or  do  any  deed  contrary  to 
God's  will.  Whence  then  fhould  grief 
or  forrow  arife?  But  now  alas!  all 
men,  nay  the  whole  world  lieth  in  dif- 
obedience !  Now  were  a  man  fimply 
and  wholly  obedient  as  Chrift  was,  all 
difobedience  were  to  him  a  fharp  and 
bitter  pain.  But  though  all  men  were 
againft  him,  they  could  neither  (hake 
nor  trouble  him,  for  while  in  this  obe- 
dience a  man  were  one  with  God,  and 
God  Himfelf  were  [one  with]  the  man. 

Behold  now  all  difobedience  is  con- 


T'heologia  Germanica >      5  3 


trary  to  God,  and  nothing  elfe.  In 
truth,  no  Thing  is  contrary  to  God;  no 
creature  nor  creature's  work,  nor  any 
thing  that  we  can  name  or  think  of  is 
contrary  to  God  or  difpleafmg  to  Him, 
but  only  difobedience  and  the  difobe- 
dient  man.  In  fhort,  all  that  is,  is 
well-pleafing  and  good  in  God's  eyes, 
faving  only  the  difobedient  man.  But 
he  is  fo  difpleafing  and  hateful  to  God 
and  grieveth  him  fo  fore,  that  if  it 
were  poffible  for  human  nature  to  die 
a  hundred  deaths,  God  would  willingly 
fuffer  them  all  for  one  difobedient  man, 
that  He  might  flay  difobedience  in 
him,  and  that  obedience  might  be  born 
again. 

Behold!  albeit  no  man  may  be  fo 
fingle  and  perfect  in  this  obedience  as 
Chrift  was,  yet  it  is  poffible  to  every 
man  to  approach  fo  near  thereunto  as 
to  be  rightly  called  godlike,  and 
partaker  of  the  divine  nature."*  And 

*  2  Pet.  i.  4. 


54     'Theologia  Germanica. 


the  nearer  a  man  cometh  thereunto, 
and  the  more  godHke  and  divine  he 
becometh,  the  more  he  hateth  all  dif- 
obedience,  fin,  evil  and  unrighteoufnefs, 
and  the  worfe  they  grieve  him.  Dif- 
obedience  and  fin  are  the  fame  thing, 
for  there  is  no  fin  but  difobedience,  and 
what  is  done  of  difobedience  is  all  fin. 
Therefore  all  we  have  to  do  is  to  keep 
ourfelves  from  difobedience. 


CHAP.  XVII. 

How  we  are  not  to  take  unto  ourfelves  what 
we  have  done  well,  hut  only  what  we  have 
done  amifs, 

TlEHOLD!  now  it  is  reported  there 
be  fome  who  vainly  think  and  fay 
that  they  are  fo  wholly  dead  to  felf  and 
quit  of  it,  as  to  have  reached  and  abide 
in  a  fl:ate  where  they  fuffer  nothing 


Theologia  Germanica.  55 


and  are  moved  by  nothing,  juft  as  if 
all  men  were  living  in  obedience,  or 
as  if  there  were  no  creatures.  And 
thus  they  profefs  to  continue  alw^ays  in 
an  even  temper  of  mind,  fo  that  noth- 
ing Cometh  amifs  to  them,  hov^foever 
things  fall  out,  well  or  ill.  Nay  verily! 
the  matter  ftandeth  not  fo,  but  as  we 
have  faid.  It  might  be  thus,  if  all 
men  were  brought  into  obedience ; 
but  until  then,  it  cannot  be. 

But  it  may  be  alked :  Are  not  we  to 
be  feparate  from  all  things,  and  neither 
to  take  unto  ourfelves  evil  nor  good  ? 
I  anfwer,  no  one  fhall  take  goodnefs 
unto  himfelf,  for  that  belongeth  to  God 
and  His  goodnefs  only;  but  thanks  be 
unto  the  man,  and  everlafting  reward 
and  bleffings,  who  is  lit  and  ready  to  be 
a  dwelling  and  tabernacle  of  the  Eternal 
Goodnefs  and  Godhead,  wherein  God 
may  exert  his  power,  and  will  and  work 
without  hindrance.  But  if  any  now 
will  excufe  himfelf  for  fin,  by  refufing 


56      Theologia  Germanica. 


to  take  what  is  evil  unto  himfelf,  and 
laying  the  guilt  thereof  upon  the  Evil 
Spirit,  and  thus  make  himfelf  out  to 
be  quite  pure  and  innocent  (as  our  firft 
parents  Adam  and  Eve  did  w^hile  they 
w^ere  yet  in  paradife;  whtn  each  laid 
the  guilt  upon  the  other,)  he  hath  no 
right  at  all  to  do  this ;  for  it  is  v^ritten, 
there  is  none  without  fin."  There- 
fore I  fay;  reproach,  fhame,  lofs,  woe, 
and  eternal  damnation  be  to  the  man 
who  is  fit  and  ready  and  willing  that  the 
Evil  Spirit  and  falfehood,  lies  and  all 
untruthfulnefs,  wickednefs  and  other 
evil  things  fhould  have  their  will  and 
pleafure,  word  and  work  in  him,  and 
make  him  their  houfe  and  habitation. 


Theologia  Germanica.  57 


CHAP.  XVIII. 

How  that  the  Life  of  Chriji  is  the  nohlefi  and 
befl  Life  that  ever  hath  been  or  can  he^  and 
how  a  carelefs  Life  of  falfe  Freedom  is  the 
worft  Life  that  can  be, 

/^F  a  truth  we  ought  to  know  and 
beUeve  that  there  is  no  life  fo  no- 
ble and  good  and  well  pleafing  to  God, 
as  the  life  of  Chrift,  and  yet  it  is  to  na- 
ture and  felfifhnefs  the  bittereft  life.  A 
life  of  careleffnefs  and  freedom  is  to 
nature  and  the  Self  and  the  Me,  the 
fweeteft  and  pleafanteft  life,  but  it  is 
not  the  beft ;  and  in  fome  men  may 
become  the  worft.  But  though  Chrift's 
life  be  the  moft  bitter  of  all,  yet  it  is 
to  be  preferred  above  all.  Hereby 
fhall  ye  mark  this :  There  is  an  in- 
ward fight  which  hath  power  to  per- 


58      Theologia  Germanica. 


ceive  the  One  true  Good,  and  that  it 
is  neither  this  nor  that,  but  that  of 
which  St.  Paul  faith;  **when  that 
which  is  perfed:  is  come,  then  that 
which  is  in  part  fhall  be  done  away."* 
By  this  he  meaneth,  that  the  Whole 
and  Perfect  excelleth  all  the  fragments, 
and  that  all  which  is  in  part  and  imper- 
fedl,  is  as  nought  compared  to  the  Per- 
fed:.  Thus  likewife  all  knowledge  of 
the  parts  is  fwallowed  up  when  the 
Whole  is  known;  and  where  that  Good 
is  known,  it  cannot  but  be  longed  for 
and  loved  fo  greatly,  that  all  other  love 
wherewith  the  man  hath  loved  himfelf 
and  other  things,  fadeth  away.  And 
that  inward  fight  likewife  perceiveth 
what  is  befl:  and  nobleft  in  all  things, 
and  loveth  it  in  the  one  true  Good,  and 
only  for  the  fake  of  that  true  Good. 

Behold!  where  there  is  this  inward 
fight,  the  man  perceiveth  of  a  truth, 
that  Chrift's  life  is  the  beft  and  nobleft 

*  I  Cor.  xlii.  10. 


heolo^ia  German  ica . 


life,  and  therefore  the  moft  to  be  pre- 
ferred, and  he  willingly  accepteth  and 
endureth  it,  without  a  queftion  or  a 
complaint,  whether  it  pleafe  or  offend 
nature  or  other  men,  whether  he  like 
or  diflike  it,  find  it  fweet  or  bitter,  and 
the  like.  And  therefore  wherever  this 
perfedl  and  true  Good  is  known,  there 
alfo  the  life  of  Chrift  muft  be  led,  until 
the  death  of  the  body.  And  he  who 
vainly  thinketh  otherwife  is  deceived, 
and  he  who  faith  otherwife,  lieth,  and 
in  what  man  the  life  of  Chrift  is  not, 
of  him  the  true  Good  and  eternal 
Truth  will  never  more  be  known. 


6o      Theologia  Germanica, 


CHAP.  XIX. 

How  we  cannot  come  to  the  true  Light  and 
Chrifi's  Life^  by  much  ^ejtioning  or  Read- 
ings or  by  high  natural  Skill  and  Reafon, 
hut  by  truly  renouncing  our/elves  and  all 
Things, 

T  ET  no  one  fuppofe  that  we  may- 
attain  to  this  true  hght  and  perfedl 
knowledge,  or  Hfe  of  Chrift,  by  much 
queftioning,  or  by  hearfay,  or  by  read- 
ing and  ftudy,  nor  yet  by  high  fkill 
and  great  learning.  Yea  fo  long  as  a 
man  taketh  account  of  anything  which 
is  this  or  that,  whether  it  be  himfelf, 
or  any  other  creature;  or  doeth  any- 
thing, or  frameth  a  purpofe,  for  the 
fake  of  his  own  likings  or  defires,  or 
opinions,  or  ends,  he  cometh  not  unto 
the  life  of  Chrift.  This  hath  Chrift 
himfelf  declared,  for  he  faith:  "If 


Theologia  Germanica.  6i 


any  man  will  come  after  me,  let  him 
deny  himfelf,  and  take  up  his  crofs, 
and  follow  me."  *  He  that  taketh  not 
his  crofs,  and  followeth  after  me,  is  not 
worthy  of  me/'-f*  And  if  he  "hate 
not  his  father  and  mother,  and  wife, 
and  children,  and  brethren  and  fifters, 
yea,  and  his  own  life  alfo,  he  cannot  be 
my  difciple/'J  He  meaneth  it  thus: 
**he  who  doth  not  forfake  and  part 
with  every  thing,  can  never  know  my 
eternal  truth,  nor  attain  unto  my  life." 
And  though  this  had  never  been  de- 
clared unto  us,  yet  the  truth  herfelf 
fayeth  it,  for  it  is  fo  of  a  truth.  But 
fo  long  as  a  man  clingeth  unto  the 
elements  and  fragments  of  this  world 
(and  above  all  to  himfelf,)  and  holdeth 
converfe  with  them,  and  maketh  great 
account  of  them,  he  is  deceived  and 
blinded,  and  perceiveth  what  is  good 
no  further  than  as  it  is  moft  convenient 

•  Matt.  xvi.  24..  f  Matt.  x.  38. 

I  Luke  xi^.  26. 


62      Theologia  Germanica. 

and  pleafant  to  himfelf  and  profitable 
to  his  own  ends.  Thefe  he  holdeth 
to  be  the  higheft  good,  and  loveth 
above  all.  [Thus  he  never  cometh  to 
the  truth.] 


CHAP.  XX. 

How,  feeing  that  the  Life  of  Chrift  is  moft 
hitter  to  Nature,  and  Self  Nature  will 
have  none  of  it,  and  choofeth  a  falfe  care- 
lefs  Life,  as  is  moft  convenient  to  her, 

^OW,  fince  the  life  of  Chrift  is 
every  way  moft  bitter  to  nature 
and  the  Self  and  the  Me  (for  in  the 
true  life  of  Chrift,  the  Self  and  the  Me 
and  nature  muft  be  forfaken  and  loft, 
and  die  altogether,)  therefore,  in  each 
of  us,  nature  hath  a  horror  of  it,  and 
thinketh  it  evil  and  unjuft  and  a  folly, 
and  grafpeth  after  fuch  a  life  as  fhall 
be  moft  comfortable  and  pleafant  to 


ia  Germanica.  63 


herfelf,  and  faith,  and  believeth  alfo  in 
her  bhndnefs,  that  fuch  a  life  is  the 
befl:  pofTible.  Now,  nothing  is  fo 
comfortable  and  pleafant  to  nature,  as 
a  free,  carelefs  way  of  life,  thereforth 
£he  clingeth  to  that,  and  taketh  enjoy- 
ment in  herfelf  and  her  own  powers, 
and  looketh  only  to  her  own  peace  and 
comfort  and  the  like.  And  this  hap- 
peneth  moft  of  all,  where  there  are 
high  natural  gifts  of  reafon,  for  that 
foareth  upwards  in  its  own  light  and 
by  its  own  power,  till  at  lafi;  it  cometh 
to  think  itfelf  the  true  Eternal  Light, 
and  giveth  itfelf  out  as  fuch,  and  is 
thus  deceived  in  itfelf,  and  deceiveth 
other  people  along  with  it,  who  know 
no  better,  and  alfo  are  thereunto  in- 
clined. 


64     Theologia  Germanica. 


CHAP.  XXI. 

How  a  Friend  of  Chrift  willingly  fulfilleth 
by  his  outward  Works^  Juch  Things  as 
muft  he  and  ought  to  he^  and  doth  not  con- 
cern himjelf  with  the  rejt, 

^VjOW,  it  may  be  afked,  what  is 
^  ^  the  ftate  of  a  man  who  followeth 
the  true  Light  to  the  utmoft  of  his 
power?  I  anfwer  truly,  it  will  never 
be  declared  aright,  for  he  who  is  not 
fuch  a  man,  can  neither  underftand  nor 
know  it,  and  he  who  is,  knoweth  it 
indeed;  but  he  cannot  utter  it,  for  it 
is  unfpeakable.  Therefore  let  him 
who  would  know  it,  give  his  whole 
diligence  that  he  may  enter  therein  ; 
then  will  he  fee  and  find  what  hath 
never  been  uttered  by  man's  lips. 
However,  I  believe  that  fuch  a  man 
hath  liberty  as  to  his  outward  walk  and 
converfation,  fo  long  as  they  confift 


Theologia  Germanica.  65 


with  what  muft  be  or  ought  to  be  ; 
but  they  may  not  confift  with  what  he 
merely  willeth  to  be.  But  oftentimes  a 
man  maketh  to  himfelf  many  muft-be's 
and  ought- to-be's  which  are  falfe. 
The  which  ye  may  fee  hereby,  that 
when  a  man  is  moved  by  his  pride  or 
covetoufnefs  or  other  evil  difpofitions, 
to  do  or  leave  undone  anything,  he  oft- 
times  faith,  It  muft  needs  be  fo,  and 
ought  to  be  fo."  Or  if  he  is  driven 
to,  or  held  back  from  anything  by  the 
delire  to  find  favour  in  men*s  eyes,  or 
by  love,  friendfhip,  enmity,  or  the  lufts 
and  appetites  of  his  body,  he  faith,  *'It 
muft  needs  be  fo,  and  ought  to  be  fo." 
Yet  behold,  that  is  utterly  falfe.  Had 
we  no  muft-be's,  nor  ought-to-be*s, 
but  fuch  as  God  and  the  Truth  fhow 
us,  and  conftrain  us  to,  we  fhould  have 
lefs,  forfooth,  to  order  and  do  than  now; 
[for  we  make  to  ourfelves  much  dif- 
quictude  and  difficulty  which  we  might 
well  be  fpared  and  raifed  above.] 


66      T^heologria  Germanica. 


CHAP.  XXII. 

How  Jometimes  the  Sprit  of  God,  and  Jome- 
times  aljo  the  Evil  Spirit  may  pojfej^  a 
Man  and  have  the  maftery  over  him. 

TT  is  written  that  fometimes  the 
Devil  and  his  fpirit  do  fo  enter  into 
and  poffefs  a  man,  that  he  knoweth 
not  what  he  doeth  and  leaveth  undone, 
and  hath  no.  power  over  himfelf,  but 
the  Evil  Spirit  hath  the  maftery  over 
him,  and  doeth  and  leaveth  undone  in, 
and  with,  and  through,  and  by  the 
man  what  he  will.  It  is  true  in  a  fenfe 
that  all  the  world  is  fubjed  to  and  pof- 
fefled  with  the  Evil  Spirit,  that  is,  with 
lies,  falfehood,  and  other  vices  and  evil 
ways;  this  alfo  cometh  of  the  Evil 
Spirit,  but  in  a  different  fenfe. 

Now,  a  man  who  fhould  be  in  like 
manner  poffeffed  by  the  Spirit  of  God, 


Theologia  Germanica.  6j 


fo  that  he  fhould  not  know  what  he 
doeth  or  leaveth  undone,  and  have  no 
power  over  himfelf,  but  the  will  and 
Spirit  of  God  fhould  have  the  mafliery 
over  him,  and  work,  and  do,  and  leave 
undone  with  him  and  by  him,  what 
and  as  God  would;  fuch  a  man  were 
one  of  thofe  of  whom  St.  Paul  faith: 
**For  as  many  as  are  led  by  the  Spirit 
of  God  they  are  the  fons  of  God,"* 
and  they  '*are  not  under  the  law  but 
under  grace,"'f*  and  to  whom  Chrifk 
faith:  "For  it  is  not  ye  that  fpeak,  but 
the  Spirit  of  your  Father  which  fpeak- 
eth  in  yonJ"X 

But  I  fear  that  for  one  who  is  truly 
poffefled  with  the  Spirit  of  God,  there 
are  a  hundred  thoufand  or  an  innume- 
rable multitude  pofTefled  with  the  Evil 
Spirit.  This  is  becaufe  men  have  more 
likenefs  to  the  Evil  Spirit  than  to  God. 
For  the  Self,  the  I,  the  Me  and  the 


Romans  viii.  14.  f  Romans  vi.  14. 

J  Matthew  x.  20. 


68      Theologia  Germanica. 

like,  all  belong  to  the  Evil  Spirit,  and 
therefore  it  is,  that  he  is  an  evil  Spirit. 
Behold  one  or  tw^o  w^ords  can  utter  all 
that  hath  been  faid  by  thefe  many- 
words  :  "  Be  limply  and  w^holly  bereft 
of  Self."  But  by  thefe  many  words, 
the  matter  hath  been  more  fully  fifted, 
proved,  and  fet  forth. 

Now  men  fay,  am  in  no  wife 
prepared  for  this  work,  and  therefore 
it  cannot  be  wrought  in  me,"  and  thus 
they  find  an  excufe,  fo  that  they  nei- 
ther are  ready  nor  in  the  way  to  be  fo. 
And  truly  there  is  no  one  to  blame  for 
this  but  themfelves.  For  if  a  man  were 
looking  and  ftriving  after  nothing  but 
to  find  a  preparation  in  all  things,  and 
diligently  gave  his  whole  mind  to  fee 
how  he  might  become  prepared ;  verily 
God  would  well  prepare  him,  for  God 
giveth  as  much  care  and  earneftnefs  and 
love  to  the  preparing  of  a  man,  as  to 
the  pouring  in  of  His  Spirit  when  the 
man  is  prepared. 


igia  Germanica.  69 


Yet  there  be  certain  means  there- 
unto, as  the  faying  is,  "to  learn  an  art 
which  thou  knoweft  not,  four  things 
are  needful.""*  The  firft  and  moft 
needful  of  all  is,  a  great  defire  and 
diligence  and  conftant  endeavour  to 
learn  the  art.  And  where  this  is  want- 
ing, the  art  will  never  be  learned.  The 
fecond  is,  a  copy  or  enfample  by  which 
thou  may  eft  learn.  The  third  is  to 
give  earneft  heed  to  the  mafter,  and 
watch  how  he  worketh,  and  to  be 
obedient  to  him  in  all  things,  and  to 
truft  him  and  follow  him.  The  fourth 
is  to  put  thy  own  hand  to  the  work, 
and  prad:ife  it  with  all  induftry.  But 
where  one  of  thefe  four  is  wanting,  the 
art  will  never  be  learned  and  maftered. 
So  likewife  is  it  with  this  preparation. 
For  he  who  hath  the  firft,  that  is, 
thorough  diligence  and  conftant,  per- 
fevering  defira  towards  his  end,  will 
alfo  feek  and  find  all  that  appertaineth 

See  note,  p.  73. 


70     Theologia  Germanka. 


thereunto,  or  is  ferviceable  and  profit- 
able to  it.  But  he  who  hath  not  that 
earneftnefs  and  dihgence,  love  and  de- 
fire,  feeketh  not,  and  therefore  findeth 
not,  and  therefore  remaineth  ever  un- 
prepared. And  therefore  he  never 
attaineth  unto  that  end. 


CHAP.  XXIII. 

He  who  will  Juhmit  him/elf  to  God  and  be 
obedient  to  Him^  muft  be  ready  to  bear  with 
all  Things;  to  wit,  Gody  him/elf,  and  all 
Creatures^  and  muft  be  obedient  to  them  all^ 
whether  he  hath  to  Juffer  or  to  do, 

'nr^HERE  be  fome  w^ho  talk  of  other 
ways  and  preparations  to  this  end, 
and  fay  we  muft  lie  ftill  under  God's 
hand,  and  be  obedient  and  refigned 
and  fubmit  to  Him.  This  is  true  ; 
for  all  this  would  be  perfected  in  a  man 
w^ho  fhould  attain  to  the  uttermoft  that 


Theologia  Germanica.      7 1 


can  be  reached  in  this  prefent  time. 
But  if  a  man  ought  and  is  willing  to 
lie  ftill  under  God's  hand,  he  muft  and 
ought  alfo  to  be  ftill  under  all  things, 
whether  they  come  from  God,  himfelf, 
or  the  creatures,  nothing  excepted. 
And  he  who  would  be  obedient,  re- 
figned  and  fubmiffive  to  God,  muft 
and  ought  to  be  alfo  refigned,  obedient 
and  fubmiffive  to  all  things,  in  a  fpirit 
of  yielding,  and  not  of  refiftance,  and 
take  them  in  filence,  refting  on  the 
hidden  foundations  of  his  foul,  and 
having  a  fecret  inward  patience,  that 
enableth  him  to  take  all  chances  or 
croffes  willingly,  and  whatever  befall- 
eth,  neither  to  call  for  nor  defire  any 
redrefs,  or  deliverance,  or  refiftance,  or 
revenge,  but  always  in  a  loving,  fincere 
humility  to  cry, "  Father,  forgive  them, 
for  they  know  not  what  they  do!" 

Behold!  this  were  a  good  path  to 
that  which  is  Beft,  and  a  noble  and 
blefled  preparation  for  the  fartheft  goal 
1 


72      Theologia  Germanica. 


which  a  man  may  reach  in  this  prefent 
time.  This  is  the  lovely  life  of  Chrift, 
for  he  walketh  in  the  aforefaid  paths 
perfectly  and  wholly  unto  the  end  of 
his  bodily  life  on  earth.  Therefore 
there  is  no  other  or  better  way  or  pre- 
paration to  the  joyful  lifeofjefus  Chrift, 
than  this  fame  courfe,  and  to  exercife 
onefelf  therein,  as  much  as  may  be. 
And  of  what  belongeth  thereunto  we 
have  already  faid  fomewhat;  nay,  all 
that  we  have  here  or  elfewhere  faid  and 
written,  is  but  a  way  or  means  to  that 
end.  But  what  the  end  is,  knoweth 
no  man  to  declare.  But  let  him  who 
would  know  it,  follow  my  counfel  and 
take  the  right  path  thereunto,  which 
is  the  humble  life  of  Jefus  Chrift;  [let 
him  ftrive  after  that  with  unwearied 
perfeverance,  and  fo,  without  doubt,  he 
ftiall  come  to  that  end  which  endureth 
for  ever.  **"For  he  that  endureth  to 
the  end  ftiall  be  faved."]  * 


*  Matt.  X.  22. 


ia  Germanica.  73 


CHAP.  XXIV. 

How  that  four  Things  are  needful  before  a 
Man  can  receive  divine  'Truth,  and  he  poj- 
fejfed  with  the  Spirit  of  GodJ^ 

lyrOREOVER  there  are  yet  other 
ways  to  the  lovely  life  of  Chrift, 
befides  thofe  we  have  fpoken  of :  to 
wit,  that  God  and  man  fhould  be 
wholly  united,  fo  that  it  can  be  faid 
of  a  truth  that  God  and  man  are  one. 
This  Cometh  to  pafs  on  this  wife. 
Where  the  Truth  always  reigneth,  fo 
that  true  perfed:  God  and  true  perfecft 
man  are  at  one,  and  man  fo  giveth  place 
to  God,  that  God  Himfelf  is  there  and 

*  The  heading  of  this  Chapter  appears  to  have  no  re- 
lation to  its  contents,  while  it  perfeftly  fuits  the  latter  half 
of  Chap,  xxii.,  (p.  69,)  which  has  nothing  correfponding 
to  it  in  the  heading  of  that  chapter.  As  however  the 
heading  of  Chap.  xxiv.  is  common  both  to  the  Wurtzburg 
MS.  and  Luther's  editions,  the  tranflator  has  no  option 
but  to  retain  it  in  its  prefent  pofition. 


74      Theologia  Germanica. 


yet  the  man  too,  and  this  fame  unity 
worketh  continually,  and  doeth  and 
leaveth  undone  without  any  I,  and  Me, 
and  Mine,  and  the  like;  behold,  there 
is  Chrift,  and  nowhere  elfe.  Now, 
feeing  that  here  there  - is  true  perfed: 
manhood,  fo  there  is  a  perfed:  per- 
ceiving and  feeling  of  pleafure  and  pain, 
liking  and  difliking,  fweetnefs  and  bit- 
ternefs,  joy  and  forrow,  and  all  that  can 
be  perceived  and  felt  within  and  with- 
out. And  feeing  that  God  is  here 
made  man,  he  is  alfo  able  to  perceive 
and  feel  love  and  hatred,  evil  and  good, 
and  the  like.  As  a  man  who  is  not 
God,  feeleth  and  taketh  note  of  all  that 
giveth  him  pleafure  and  pain,  and  it 
pierceth  him  to  the  heart,  efpecially 
what  ofFendeth  him ;  fo  is  it  alfo  when 
God  and  man  are  one,  and  yet  God  is 
the  man;  there  everything  is  perceived 
and  felt  that  is  contrary  to  God  and 
man.  And  fince  there  man  becometh 
nought,  and  God  alone  is  everything. 


Theologta  Germanica.  75 

fo  is  it  with  that  which  is  contrary  to 
man,  and  a  forrow  to  him.  And  this 
muft  hold  true  of  God  fo  long  as  a 
bodily  and  fubftantial  life  endureth. 

Furthermore,  mark  ye,  that  the  one 
Being  in  whom  God  and  man  are 
united,  ftandeth  free  of  himfelf  and  of 
all  things,  and  whatever  is  in  him  is 
there  for  God's  fake  and  not  for  man's, 
or  the  creature's.  For  it  is  the  property 
of  God  to  be  without  this  and  that, 
and  without  Self  and  Me,  and  without 
equal  or  fellow;  but  it  is  the  nature 
and  property  of  the  creature  to  feek 
itfelf  and  its  own  things,  and  this  and 
that,  here  and  there;  and  in  all  that  it 
doeth  and  leaveth  undone  its  defire  is 
to  its  own  advantage  and  profit.  Now 
where  a  creature  or  a  man  forfaketh 
and  Cometh  out  of  himfelf  and  his  own 
things,  there  God  entereth  in  with  His 
own,  that  is,  with  Himfelf. 


76     Theologia  Germanica. 


CHAP.  XXV. 

Of  two  evil  Fruits  that  do  fpring  up  from  the 
Seed  of  the  Evil  Spirit,  and  are  two  Sifters 
who  love  to  dwell  together,  Ihe  one  is 
called  Jpiritual  Pride  and  Highmindednejs, 
the  other  is  faljey  lawlefs  Freedom, 

'^JOW,  after  that  a  man  hath  walked 
in  all  the  ways  that  lead  him  unto 
the  truth,  and  exercifed  himfelf  there- 
in, not  fparing  his  labour ;  now,  as 
often  and  as  long  as  he  dreameth  that 
his  work  is  altogether  finifhed,  and  he 
is  by  this  time  quite  dead  to  the  world, 
and  come  out  from  Self  and  given  up 
to  God  alone,  behold!  the  Devil  com- 
eth  and  foweth  his  feed  in  the  man's 
heart.  From  this  feed  fpring  two 
fruits  ;  the  one  is  fpiritual  fulnefs  or 
pride,  the  other  is  falfe,  lawlefs  free- 
dom.   Thefe  are  two  fifters  who  love 


'ia  Germanica.  77 


to  be  together.  Now,  it  beginneth 
on  this  wife:  the  Devil  puffeth  up  the 
man,  till  he  thinketh  himfelf  to  have 
climbed  the  topmoft  pinnacle,  and  to 
have  come  fo  near  to  heaven,  that  he 
no  longer  needeth  Scripture,  nor  teach- 
ing, nor  this  nor  that,  but  is  altogether 
raifed  above  any  need.  Whereupon 
there  arifeth  a  falfe  peace  and  fatisfac- 
tion  with  himfelf,  and  then  it  follow- 
eth  that  he  faith  or  thinketh:  '*Yea, 
now  I  am  above  all  other  men,  and 
know  and  underfland  more  than  any 
one  in  the  world;  therefore  it  is  cer- 
tainly jufi:  and  reafonable  that  I  fhould 
be  the  lord  and  commander  of  all 
creatures,  and  that  all  creatures,  and 
efpecially  all  men,  fhould  ferve  me 
and  be  fubjedl  unto  me."  And  then  he 
feeketh  and  defireth  the  fame,  and 
taketh  it  gladly  from  all  creatures,  ef- 
pecially men,  and  thinketh  himfelf 
well  worthy  of  all  this,  and  that  it  is 
his  due,  and  looketh  on  men  as  if  they 


yS      Theologia  Germanica. 


were  the  beafts  of  the  field,  and  think- 
eth  himfelf  worthy  of  all  that  minifter- 
eth  to  his  body  and  life  and  nature,  in 
profit,  or  joy,  or  pleafure,  or  even  paf- 
time  and  amufement,  and  he  feeketh 
and  taketh  it  wherever  he  findeth  op- 
portunity. And  whatever  is  done  or 
can  be  done  for  him,  feemeth  him  all 
too  little  and  too  poor,  for  he  thinketh 
himfelf  worthy  of  fl:ill  more  and  greater 
honour  than  can  be  rendered  to  him. 
And  of  all  the  men  who  ferve  him  and 
are  fubjedt  to  him,  even  if  they  be 
downright  thieves  and  murderers,  he 
faith  neverthelefs,  that  they  have  faith- 
ful, noble  hearts,  and  have  great  love 
and  faithfulnefs  to  the  truth  and  to  poor 
men.  And  fuch  men  are  praifed  by  him, 
and  he  feeketh  them  and  followeth  after 
them  wherever  they  be.  But  he  who 
doth  not  order  himfelf  according  to 
the  will  of  thefe  highminded  men,  nor 
is  fubjed:  unto  them,  is  not  fought  after 
by  them,  nay,  more  fikely  blamed  and 


Theologia  Germanica,  79 


fpoken  ill  of,  even  though  he  were  as 
holy  as  St.  Peter  himfelf.  And  feeing 
that  this  proud  and  puffed-up  fpirit 
thinketh  thatfhe  needeth  neither  Scrip- 
ture, nor  inftrudlion,  nor  anything  of 
the  kind,  therefore  fhe  giveth  no  heed 
to  the  admonitions,  order,  laws  and 
precepts  of  the  holy  Chriftian  Church, 
nor  to  the  Sacraments,  but  mocketh  at 
them  and  at  all  men  who  walk  accord- 
ing to  thefe  ordinances  and  hold  them 
in  reverence.  Hereby  we  may  plainly 
fee  that  thofe  two  lifters  dwell  together. 

Moreover  fince  this  fheer  pride  think- 
eth to  know  and  underftand  more  than 
all  men  befides,  therefore  fhe  chdofeth 
to  prate  more  than  all  other  men,  and 
would  fain  have  her  opinions  and 
fpeeches  to  be  alone  regarded  and  lif- 
tened  to,  and  counteth  all  that  others 
think  and  fay  to  be  wrong,  and  holdeth 
it  in  derifion  as  a  folly. 


8o      Theologia  Germanka. 


CHAP.  XXVI. 

Touching  Poornefs  of  Spirit  and  true  Humil- 
ity^ and  whereby  we  may  dijcern  the  true 
and  lawful  free  Men^  whom  the  Truth 
hath  made  free, 

T)UT  it  is  quite  otherwife  where 
there  is  poornefs  of  fpirit,  and 
true  humiHty;  and  it  is  fo  becaufe  it 
is  found  and  known  of  a  truth  that  a 
man,  of  himfelf  and  his  own  power, 
is  nothing,  hath  nothing,  can  do  and 
is  capable  of  nothing  but  only  infirmi- 
ty and  evil.  Hence  followeth  that  the 
man  findeth  himfelf  altogether  unwor- 
thy of  all  that  hath  been  or  ever  will 
be  done  for  him,  by  God  or  the  crea- 
tures, and  that  he  is  a  debtor  to  God 
and  alfo  to  all  the  creatures  in  God's 
ftead,  both  to  bear  with,  and  to  labour 
for,  and  to  ferve  them.    And  therefore 


Theologia  Germanica.  8i 

he  doeth  not  in  any  wife  ftand  up  for 
his  own  rights,  but  from  the  humiHty 
of  his  heart  he  faith,  "It  is  juft  and 
reafonable  that  God  and  all  creatures 
fhould  be  againft  me,  and  have  a  right 
over  me,  and  to  me,  and  that  I  fhould 
not  be  againft  any  one,  nor  have  a  right 
to  any  thing."  Hence  it  followeth 
that  the  man  doth  not  and  will  not 
crave  or  beg  for  any  thing,  either  from 
God  or  the  creatures,  beyond  mere 
needful  things,  and  for  thofe  only  with 
fhame-facednefs,  as  a  favour  and  not 
as  a  right.  And  he  will  not  minifter 
unto  or  gratify  his  body  or  any  of  his 
natural  defires,  beyond  what  is  needful, 
nor  allow  that  any  fhould  help  or  ferve 
him  except  in  cafe  of  neceffity,  and 
then  always  in  trembling;  for  he  hath 
no  right  to  any  thing,  and  therefore 
he  thinketh  himfelf  unworthy  of  any 
thing.  So  likewife  all  his  own  dif- 
courfe,  ways,  words  and  works  feem  to 
this  man  a  thing  of  nought  and  a  folly. 


8  2     Theologia  Germanica . 


Therefore  he  fpeaketh  little,  and  doth 
not  take  upon  himfelf  to  admonifh  or 
rebuke  any,  unlefs  he  be  conftrained 
thereto  by  love  or  faithfulnefs  towards 
God,  and  even  then  he  doth  it  in  fear, 
and  fo  little  as  may  be. 

Moreover,  when  a  man  hath  this 
poor  and  humble  fpirit,  he  cometh  to 
fee  and  underftand  aright,  how  that  all 
men  are  bent  upon  themfelves,  and  in- 
clined to  evil  and  fin,  and  that  on  this 
account  it  is  needful  and  profitable  that 
there  be  order,  cuftoms,  law  and  pre- 
cepts, to  the  end  that  the  blindnefs  and 
foolifhnefs  of  men  may  be  corrected, 
and  that  vice  and  wickednefs  may  be 
kept  under,  and  conftrained  to  feemli- 
nefs.  For  without  ordinances,  men 
would  be  much  more  mifchievous  and 
ungovernable  than  dogs  and  cattle. 
And  few  have  come  to  the  knowledge 
of  the  truth,  but  what  have  begun  with 
holy  pradlices  and  ordinances,  and  ex- 
ercifed  themfelves  therein  fo  long  as 
they  knew  nothing  more  nor  better. 


Theologia  Germanica.  83 


Therefore  one  who  is  poor  in  fpirit 
and  of  a  humble  mind  doth  not  defpife 
or  make  light  of  law,  order,  precepts 
and  holy  cuftoms,  nor  yet  of  thofe  who 
obferve  and  cleave  wholly  to  them,  but 
with  loving  pity  and  gentle  forrow, 
crieth:  "Almighty  Father,  Thou  Eter- 
nal Truth,  I  make  my  lament  unto 
Thee,  and  it  grieveth  Thy  Spirit  too, 
that  through  man's  blindnefs,  infirmity, 
and  fin,  that  is  made  needful  and  muft 
be,  which  in  deed  and  truth  were  nei- 
ther needful  nor  right."  [For  thofe 
who  are  perfeft  are  under  no  law. 

So  order,  laws,  precepts  and  the  like 
are  merely  an  admonition  to  men  who 
underftand  nothing  better  and  know 
and  perceive  not  wherefore  all  law  and 
order  is  ordained.]  And  the  perfect 
accept  the  law  along  with  fuch  ignorant 
men  as  underftand  and  know  nothing 
better,  and  pradlife  it  with  them,  to 
the  intent  that  they  may  be  reftrained 
thereby,  and  kept  from  evil  ways,  or 


84      Theologia  Germanica. 


if  it  be  poffible,  brought  to  fomething 
higher. 

Behold!  all  that  we  have  faid  of 
poverty  and  humility  is  fo  of  a  truth, 
and  we  have  the  proof  and  witnefs 
thereof  in  the  pure  life  of  Chrift,  and 
in  his  words.  For  he  both  pradtifed 
and  fulfilled  every  work  of  true  hu- 
mility and  all  other  virtues,  as  fhineth 
forth  in  his  holy  life,  and  he  faith  alfo 
expreffly:  "Learn  of  me,  for  I  am 
meek  and  lowly  of  heart,  and  ye  fhall 
find  reft  unto  your  fouls."*  More- 
over he  did  not  defpife  and  fet  at  nought 
the  law  and  the  commandments,  nor 
yet  the  men  who  are  under  the  law. 
[He  faith:  "I  am  not  come  to  deftroy 
the  law  or  the  prophets,  but  to  fulfil."] 
But  he  faith  further,  that  to  keep  them 
is  not  enough,  we  muft  prefs  forward 
to  what  is  higher  and  better,  as  is  in- 
deed true.  [He  faith:  "Except  your 
righteoufnefs  fhall  exceed  the  right- 

*  Matt.  xi.  29. 


Theologia  Germanica,  85 

eoufnefs  of  the  Scribes  and  Pharifees, 
ye  fhall  in  no  cafe  enter  into  the  king- 
dom of  Heaven."*  For  the  law  for- 
biddeth  evil  w^orks,  but  Chrift  con- 
demneth  alfo  evil  thoughts;  the  law^ 
allow^eth  us  to  take  vengeance  on  our 
enemies,  but  Chrift  commandeth  us 
to  love  them.  The  law  forbiddeth  not 
the  good  things  of  this  world,  but  he 
counfelleth  us  to  defpife  them.  And 
he  hath  fet  his  feal  upon  all  he  faid, 
with  his  own  holy  life;  for  he  taught 
nothing  that  he  did  not  fulfil  in  work, 
and  he  kept  the  law  and  was  fubjed: 
unto  it  to  the  end  of  his  mortal  life.] 
Likewife  St.  Paul  faith:  Chrift  was 
made  under  the  law  to  redeem  them 
that  were  under  the  law.^-f-  That  is, 
that  he  might  bring  them  to  fome- 
thing  higher  and  nearer  to  himfelf. 
He  faid  again,  ''The  Son  of  man  came 
not  to  be  miniftered  unto  but  to  min- 
ifter."+ 

*  Matt.  V.  20.      f  Galat.  iv.  4.      %  Matt.  xx.  28. 


86      Theologia  Germanica. 


In  a  word :  in  Chrifl's  life  and 
words  and  works,  we  find  nothing  but 
true,  pure  humility  and  poverty  fuch 
as  we  have  fet  forth.  And  therefore 
where  God  dwelleth  in  a  man,  and  the 
man  is  a  true  follower  of  Chrifl:,  it 
will  be,  and  muft  be,  and  ought  to  be 
the  fame.  But  where  there  is  pride, 
and  a  haughty  fpirit,  and  a  light  care- 
lefs  mind,  Chrift  is  not,  nor  any  true 
follower  of  his. 

Chrift  faid:  "my  foul  is  troubled, 
even  unto  death."  He  meaneth  his 
bodily  death."  [That  is  to  fay:  from 
the  time  that  he  was  born  of  Mary, 
until  his  death  on  the  crofs,  he  had 
not  one  joyful  day,  but  only  trouble, 
forrow  and  contradicflion.]  Therefore 
it  is  juft  and  reafonable  that  his  fervants 
fhould  be  even  as  their  Mafter.  Chrift 
faith  alfo:  "BlelTed  are  the  poor  in 
fpirit,"  (that  is,  thofe  who  are  truly 
humble)  "for  theirs  is  the  kingdom 
of  Heaven."    And  thus  we  find  it  of 


ia  Germanica,  87 


a  truth,  where  God  is  made  man. 
For  in  Chrift  and  in  all  his  true  fol- 
lowers, there  muft  needs  be  thorough 
humility  and  poornefs  of  fpirit,  a  lowly 
retiring  difpofition,  and  a  heart  laden 
with  a  fecret  forrow  and  mourning, 
fo  long  as  this  mortal  life  lafteth.  And 
he  who  dreameth  otherwife  is  deceiv- 
ed, and  deceiveth  others  with  him  as 
aforefaid.  Therefore  nature  and  Self 
always  avoid  this  life,  and  cling  to  a 
life  of  falfe  freedom  and  eafe  as  we 
have  fa  id. 

Behold !  now  cometh  an  Adam  or  an 
Evil  Spirit,  wifhing  to  juftify  himfelf 
and  make  excufe,  and  faith;  **Thou 
wilt  almoft  have  it  that  Chrift  was  be- 
reft of  felf  and  the  like,  yet  he  fpake 
often  of  himfelf,  and  glorified  himfelf 
in  this  and  that,"  Anfwer:  when  a 
man  in  whom  the  truth  worketh,  hath 
and  ought  to  have  a  will  towards  any 
thing,  his  will  and  endeavour  and 
works  are  for  no  end,  but  that  the 

m 


88     Theologia  Germanka. 


truth  may  be  feen  and  manifefted;  and 
this  will  was  in  Chrift,  and  to  this  end, 
words  and  works  are  needful.  And 
what  Chrift  did  becaufe  it  was  the 
moft  profitable  and  beft  means  there- 
unto, he  no  more  took  unto  himfelf 
than  any  thing  elfe  that  happened. 
Doft  thou  fay  now:  ''Then  there  war 
a  Wherefore  in  Chrift?"  I  anfwer,  if 
thou  wert  to  afk  the  fun,  "  why  fhineft 
thou?"  he  would  fay:  muft  fliine, 
and  cannot  do  otherwife,  for  it  is  my 
nature  and  property;  but  this  my  pro- 
perty, and  the  light  I  give,  is  not  of 
myfelf,  and  I  do  not  call  it  mine."  So 
likewife  is  it  with  God  and  Chrift  and 
all  who  are  godly  and  belong  unto 
God.  In  them  is  no  willing,  nor  work- 
ing nor  defiring  but  has  for  its  end, 
goodnefs,  as  goodnefs,  for  the  fake  of 
goodnefs,  and  they  have  no  otii'^r 
Wherefore  than  this. 


ia  Germanka,  89 


CHAP.  XXVII. 

How  we  are  to  take  Chrijl*s  Words  when  he 
hade  us  forjake  all  Things;  and  wherein 
the  Union  with  the  Divine  Will  ftandeth, 

'^TOW,  according  to  what  hath  been 
faid,  ye  muft  obferve  that  when 
we  fay,  as  Chrift  alfo  faith,  that  we 
ought  to  refign  and  forfake  all  things, 
this  is  not  to  be  taken  in  the  fenfe  that 
a  man  is  neither  to  do  nor  to  purpofe 
anything;  for  a  man  muft  always  have 
fomething  to  do  and  to  order  fo  long 
as  he  liveth.  But  we  are  to  underftand 
by  it  that  the  union  with  God  ftandeth 
not  in  any  man's  powers,  in  his  work- 
ing or  abftaining,  perceiving  or  know- 
ing, nor  in  that  of  all  the  creatures 
taken  together. 

Now  what  is  this  union?  It  is  that 
we  fhould  be  of  a  truth  purely,  fimply, 
and  wholly  at  one  with  the  One  Eter- 


90      'Theologia  Germanica, 

nal  Will  of  God,  or  altogether  without 
will,  fo  that  the  created  will  fhould 
flow  out  into  the  Eternal  Will,  and  be 
fwallowed  up  and  loft  therein,  fo  that 
the  Eternal  Will  alone  fhould  do  and 
leave  undone  in  us.  Now  mark  what 
may  help  or  further  us  towards  this 
end.  Behold,  neither  exercifes,  nor 
words,  nor  works,  nor  any  creature 
nor  creature's  work,  can  do  this.  In 
this  wife  therefore  muft  we  renounce 
and  forfake  all  things,  that  we  muft 
not  imagine  or  fuppofe  that  any  words, 
works,  or  exercifes,  any  fkill  or  cun- 
ning or  any  created  thing  can  help  or 
ferve  us  thereto.  Therefore  we  muft 
fufFer  thefe  things  to  be  what  they  are, 
and  enter  into  the  union  with  God. 
Yet  outward  things  muft  be,  and  we 
muft  do  and  refrain  fo  far  as  is  neceffa- 
ry,  efpecially  we  muft  fleep  and  wake, 
walk  and  ftand  ftill,  fpeak  and  be  filent, 
and  much  more  of  the  like.  Thefe 
muft  go  on  fo  long  as  we  live. 


ia  Germanica.      o  i 


CHAP.  XXVIII. 

HoWy  after  a  Union  with  the  divine  Will^ 
the  inward  Man  (landeth  immoveable^  the 
while  the  outward  Man  is  moved  hither 
and  thither, 

'^[OW,  when  this  union  truly  cometh 
to  pafs  and  becometh  eftabhfhed, 
the  inward  man  ftandeth  henceforward 
immoveable  in  this  union;  and  God 
fuffereth  the  outward  man  to  be  moved 
hither  and  thither,  from  this  to  that,  of 
fuch  things  as  are  neceffary  and  right. 
So  that  the  outward  man  faith  in  lin- 
cerity,  *'I  have  no  will  to  be  or  not  to 
be,  to  live  or  die,  to  know  or  not  to 
know,  to  do  or  to  leave  undone  and  the 
like;  but  I  am  ready  for  all  that  is  to 
be,  or  ought  to  be,  and  obedient  there- 
unto, whether  I  have  to  do  or  to  fuffer." 
And  thus  the  outward  man  hath  no 
Wherefore  or  purpofe,  but  only  to  do 
his  part  to  further  the  Eternal  Will. 
For  it  is  perceived  of  a  truth,  that  the 


92      Theologia  Germanka. 

^  inward  man  fhall  ftand  immoveable,  and 
\  that  it  is  needful  for  the  outward  man 
to  be  moved.  And  if  the  inward  man 
have  any  Wherefore  in  the  actions  of 
the  outward  man,  he  faith  only  that 
fuch  things  muft  be  and  ought  to  be,  as 
are  ordained  by  the  Eternal  Will.  And 
where  God  Himfelf  dwelleth  in  theman, 
it  is  thus;  as  we  plainly  fee  in  Chrift. 
Moreover,  where  there  is  this  union, 
which  is  the  offspring  of  a  Divine  light 
and  dwelleth  in  its  beams,  there  is  no 
fpiritual  pride,  or  irreverent  fpirit,  but 
boundlefs  humility,  and  a  lowly  broken 
heart;  alfo  an  honeft  blamelefs  walk, 
juftice,  peace,  content  and  all  that  is  of 
virtue  muft  needs  be  there.  Where 
they  are  not,  there  is  no  right  union,  as 
we  have  faid.  For  juft  as  neither  this 
thing  nor  that  can  bring  about  or  fur- 
ther this  union,  fo  there  is  nothing 
which  hath  power  to  fruftrate  or  hinder 
it,  fave  the  man  himfelf  with  his  felf- 
will,  that  doeth  him  this  great  wrong. 
Of  this  be  well  affured. 


'Theologia  Germanka.  93 


CHAP.  XXIX. 

How  a  Man  may  not  attain  Jo  high  before 
Death  as  not  to  he  moved  or  touched  by 
outward  Things* 

^npHERE  be  fome  who  affirm,  that 
a  man,  while  in  this  prefent  time, 
may  and  ought  to  be  above  being 
touched  by  outward  things,  and  in  all 
refpedls  as  Chrift  was  after  his  refur- 
redlion.  .  This  they  try  to  prove  and 
eftablifh  by  Chrift's  words,  go  be- 
fore you  into  Galilee,  there  fhall  ye 
fee  me."*  And  again,  '*A  fpirit  hath 
not  flefh  and  bones  as  ye  fee  me  have."*f- 
Thefe  fayings  they  interpret  thus :  *^As 
ye  have  feen  me,  and  been  followers 
of  me,  in  my  mortal  body  and  life,  fo 
alfo  it  behoveth  you  to  fee  me  and  fol- 
low me,  as  I  go  before  you  into  Gali- 


*  Matt.  xxvi.  32  and  xxviii.  7-10, 
+  Luke  xxlv.  39. 


94     'Theologia  Ger?nanica. 


lee ;  that  is  to  fay,  into  a  ftate  in  which 
nothing  hath  power  to  move  or  grieve 
the  foul;  on  which  ftate  ye  fhall  enter, 
and  live  and  continue  therein,  before 
that  ye  have  fuffered  and  gone  through 
your  bodily  death.  And  as  ye  fee  me 
having  flefh  and  bones,  and  not  liable 
to  fuffer,  fo  fhall  ye  likewife,  while  yet 
in  the  body  and  having  your  mortal 
nature,  ceafe  to  feel  outward  things, 
were  it  even  the  death  of  the  body." 

Now,  I  anfwer,  in  the  firft  place,  to 
this  affirmation,  that  Chrift  did  not 
mean  that  a  man  fhould  or  could  attain 
unto  this  ftate,  unlefs  he  have  firft  gone 
through  and  fuffered  all  that  Chrift 
did.  Now,  Chrift  did  not  attain 
thereunto,  before  he  had  paffed  through 
and  fuffered  his  natural  death,  and 
what  things  appertain  thereto.  There- 
fore no  man  can  or  ought  to  come  to 
it  fo  long  as  he  is  mortal  and  liable  to 
fuffer.  For  if  fuch  a  ftate  were  the 
nobleft  and  beft,  and  if  it  were  poffible 


ia  Germanica.  95 


and  right  to  attain  to  it,  as  aforefaid, 
in  this  prefent  time,  then  it  would  have 
been  attained  by  Chrift;  for  the  Hfe 
of  Chrift  is  the  beft  and  nobleft,  the 
worthieft  and  loveheft  in  God*s  fight 
that  ever  was  or  will  be.  Therefore 
if  it  was  not  and  could  not  be  fo  with 
Chrift,  it  will  never  be  fo  with  any 
man.  Therefore  though  fome  may 
imagine  and  fay  that  fuch  a  life  is  the 
beft  and  nobleft  life,  yet  it  is  not  fo. 


g6      Theologia  Germanica. 


CHAP.  XXX. 

On  what  wife  we  may  come  to  he  beyond  and 
above  all  Cujlom^  Order y  Law,  Precepts^ 
and  the  like, 

COME  fay  further,  that  we  can  and 
ought  to  get  beyond  all  virtue,  all 
cuftom  and  order,  all  law,  precepts  and 
feemlinefs,  fo  that  all  thefe  ihould  be 
laid  afide,  thrown  off  and  fet  at  nought. 
Herein  there  is  fome  truth,  and  fome 
falfehood.  Behold  and  mark:  Chrift 
was  greater  than  his  own  life,  and  above 
,  all  virtue,  cuftom,  ordinances  and  the 
like,  and  fo  alfo  is  the  Evil  Spirit  above 
them,  but  with  a  difference.  For 
Chrift  was  and  is  above  them  on  this 
wife,  that  his  words,  and  works,  and 
ways,  his  doings  and  refrainings,  his 
fpeech  and  filence,  his  fufferings,  and 
whatfoever  happened  to  him,  were 


Theologia  Germanica.  97 


not  forced  upon  him,  neither  did  he 
need  them,  neither  were  they  of  any 
profit  to  himfelf.  It  was  and  is  the 
fame  with  all  manner  of  virtue,  order, 
laws,  decency,  and  the  like;  for  all 
that  may  be  reached  by  them  is  alrea- 
dy in  Chrift  to  perfedlion.  In  this 
fenfe,  that  faying  of  St.  Paul  is  true  and 
receiveth  its  fulfilment,  ''As  many  as 
are  led  by  the  Spirit  of  God,  they  are 
the  fons  of  God,**  "and  are  not  under 
the  law  but  under  grace."*  That 
meaneth,  man  need  not  teach  them 
what  they  are  to  do  or  abftain  from; 
for  their  Mafter,  that  is,  the  Spirit  of 
God,  fhall  verily  teach  them  what  is 
needful  for  them  to  know.  Likewife 
they  do  not  need  that  men  fhould  give 
them  precepts,  or  command  them  to  do 
right  and  not  to  do  wrong, and  the  like; 
for  the  fame  admirable  Mafter  who 
teacheth  them  what  is  good  or  not  good, 
what  is  higher  and  lower,  and  in  fhort 

*  Rom.  viii.  lo,  and  vi.  14. 


98      Theologia  Germantca. 


leadeth  them  into  all  truth,  He  reign- 
eth  alfo  within  them,  and  biddeth  them 
to  hold  faft  that  which  is  good,  and  to 
let  the  reft  go,  and  to  Him  they  give 
ear.  Behold!  in  this  fenfe  they  need 
not  to  wait  upon  any  law,  either  to 
teach  or  to  command  them.  In  another 
fenfe  alfo  they  need  no  law;  namely, 
in  order  to  feek  or  win  fomething 
thereby,  or  get  any  advantage  for  them- 
felves.  For  whatever  help  toward 
eternal  life,  or  furtherance  in  the  way 
everlafting  they  might  obtain  from  the 
aid,  or  counfel,  or  words,  or  works  of 
any  creature,  they  polTefs  already  be- 
forehand. Behold!  in  this  fenfe  alfo 
it  is  true,  that  we  may  rife  above  all 
law  and  virtue,  and  alfo  above  the 
works  and  knowledge  and  powers  of 
any  creature. 


la  Germanica,  99 


CHAP.  XXXI. 

How  we  are  not  to  caft  off  the  Life  cf  Chrifty 
but  pra5fife  it  diligently^  and  walk  in  it 
until  Death. 

T>UT  that  other  thing  which  they 
affirm,  how  that  we  ought  to 
throw  off  and  caft  alide  the  life  oi 
Chrift,  and  all  laws  and  command- 
ments, cuftoms  and  order  and  the  like, 
and  pay  no  heed  to  them,  but  defpife 
and  make  light  of  them,  is  altogether 
falfe  and  a  lie.  Now  fome  may  fay; 
— "lince  neither  Chrift  nor  others  can 
ever  gain  anything,  either  by  a  Chrif- 
tian  life,  or  by  all  thefe  exercifes  and 
ordinances,  and  the  like,  nor  turn  them 
to  any  account,  feeing  that  they  pofTefs 
already  all  that  can  be  had  through 
them,  what  caufe  is  there  why  they 
fhould  not  henceforth  efchew  them 


loo    Theolo^ia  Germanica. 


altogether?  Muft  they  ftill  retain  and 
prad:ice  them?" 

Behold,  ye  muft  look  narrowly  into 
this  matter.  There  are  two  kinds  of 
Light;  the  one  is  true  and  the  other 
is  falfe.  The  true  light  is  that  Eter- 
nal Light  which  is  God;  or  elfe  it  is  a 
created  light,  but  yet  divine,  which  is 
called  grace.  And  thefe  are  both  the 
true  Light.  So  is  the  falfe  light  Nature 
•r  of  Nature.  But  why  is  the  iirft 
true,  and  the  fecond  falfe?  This  we 
can  better  perceive  than  fay  or  write. 
To  God,  as  Godhead,  appertain  neither 
will,  nor  knowledge,  nor  manifeftation, 
nor  anything  that  we  can  name,  or  fay, 
or  conceive.  But  to  God  as  God,*  it 
belongethtoexprefs  Himfelf,and  know 
and  love  Himfelf,  and  to  reveal  Him- 
felf  to  Himfelf;  and  all  this  without 
any  creature.  And  all  this  refteth  in 
God  as  a  fubftance  but  not  as  a  work- 
ing, fo  long  as  there  is  no  creature. 

*  That  is,  as  a  Perfonj — "God"  being  ufed  here  as  a 
proper  name. — Tr. 


Theologia  Germanica,     i  o  i 

And  out  of  this  exprefling  and  reveal- 
ing of  Himfelf  unto  Himfelf,  arifeth 
the  diftindlion  of  Perfons.  But  when 
God  as  God  is  made  nian,  or  where 
God  dwelleth  in  a  godly  man,  or  one 
who  is  *'made  a  partaker  of  the  divine 
nature,"  in  fuch  a  man  fomewhat  ap- 
pertaineth  unto  God  which  is  His  own, 
and  belongeth  to  Him  only  and  not  to 
the  creature.  And  without  the  crea- 
ture, this  would  lie  in  His  own  Self  as 
a  Subftance  or  well-fpring,  but  would 
not  be  manifefted  or  wrought  out  into 
deeds.  Now  God  will  have  it  to  be 
exercifed  and  clothed  in  a  form,  for  it 
is  there  only  to  Be  wrought  out  and 
executed.  What  elfe  is  it  for?  Shall 
it  lie  idle?  What  then  would  it  profit? 
As  good  were  it  that  it  had  never  been; 
nay  better,  for  what  is  of  no  ufe  exift- 
eth  in  vain,  and  that  is  abhorred  by 
God  and  Nature.  However  God  will 
have  it  wrought  out,  and  this  cannot 
come  to  pafs  (which  it  ought  to  do,) 


102     T'heologta  Germanica. 

without  the  creature.  Nay,  if  there 
ought  not  to  be,  and  were  not  this  and 
that — works,  and  a  world  full  of  real 
things,  and  the  like, — what  were  God 
Himfelf,  and  what  had  He  to  do,  and 
whofe  God  would  he  be?  Here  we 
muft  turn  and  ftop,  or  we  might  follow 
this  matter  and  grope  along  until  we 
knew  not  where  we  were,  nor  how  we 
fhould  find  our  way  out  again. 

CHAP.  XXXII. 

How  God  is  a  true^  fmplcy  perfe^  Good^  and 
how  He  is  a  Light  and  a  Reajon  and  all 
Virtues^  and  how  what  is  highejt  and  hefty 
that  is  J  God,  ought  to  he  mojt  loved  hy  us. 

TN  fliort  I  would  have  you  to  under- 
ftand,  that  God  (in  fo  far  as  He  is 
good)  is  goodnefs  as  goodnefs,  and  not 
this  or  that  good.  But  here  mark  one 
thing.  Behold!  what  is  fometimes 
here  and  fometimes  there  is  not  every- 
where, and  above  all  things  and  places; 


Theologia  Germanica.  103 


fo  alfo,  what  is  to-day,  or  to-morrow, 
is  not  always,  at  all  times,  and  above 
all  time;  and  what  is  fome  Thing,  this 
or  that,  is  not  all  things  and  above  all 
things.  Now,  behold,  if  God  were 
fomething,  this  or  that,  he  would  not 
be  all  in  all,  and  above  all,  as  he  is; 
and  fo  alfo.  He  would  not  be  true  Per- 
fedlion.  Therefore  God  is,  and  yet  he 
is  neither  this  nor  that  which  the  crea- 
ture, as  creature,  can  perceive,  name, 
conceive  or  exprefs.  Therefore  if  God 
(in  fo  far  as  He  is  good)  w^ere  this  or 
that  good.  He  would  not  be  all  good, 
and  therefore  he  would  not  be  the  One 
Perfeft  Good,  which  He  is.  Now 
God  is  alfo  a  Light  and  a  Reafon,*  the 
property  of  which  is  to  give  light  and 
fhine,  and  take  knowledge;  and  inaf- 
much  as  God  is  Light  and  Reafon,  He 
muft  give  light  and  perceive.  And 
all  this  giving  and  perceiving  of  light 

*  Cognition  is  the  word  which  comes  neareft  to  the 
original  Erkenntnifs,  but  would  not  harmonize  with  the 
llyle  of  the  tranflation. 

n 


1 04    Theologia  Germanica. 


exifteth  in  God  without  the  creature; 
not  as  a  work  fulfilled,  but  as  a  fub- 
ftance  or  well-fpring.  But  for  it  to 
flow  out  into  a  work,  fomething  really 
done  and  accomplifhed,*  there  muft  be 
creatures  through  whom  this  can  come 
to  pafs.  Look  ye:  where  this  Reafon 
and  Light  is  at  w^ork  in  a  creature,  it 
perceiveth  and  knoweth  and  teacheth 
what  itfelf  is;  how  that  it  is  good  in 
itfelf  and  neither  this  thing  nor  that 
thing.  This  Light  and  Reafon  know- 
eth and  teacheth  men,  that  it  is  a  true, 
fimple,  perfedl  Good,  which  is  neither 
this  nor  that  fpecial  good,  but  compre- 
hended every  kind  of  good. 

Now,  having  declared  that  this  Light 
teacheth  the  One  Good,  what  doth  it 
teach  concerning  it?  Give  heed  to 
this.  Behold!  even  as  God  is  the  one 
Good,  and  Light  and  Reafon,  fo  is  He 
alfo  Will  and  Love  and  Juftice  and 
Truth,  and  in  fliort  all  virtues.  But 

*  Or,  be  realized. 


'Theologia  Germanica.  105 

all  thefe  are  in  God  one  Subftance,  and 
none  of  them  can  be  put  in  exercife  and 
wrought  out  into  deeds  without  the 
creature,  for  in  God,  without  the  crea- 
ture, they  are  only  as  a  Subftance  or 
well-fpring,  not  as  a  work.  But  where 
the  One,  who  is  yet  all  thefe,  layeth 
hold  of  a  creature,  and  taketh  pofTeffion 
of  it,  and  diredteth  and  maketh  ufe  of 
it,  fo  that  he  may  perceive  in  it  fome- 
what  of  His  own,  behold,  in  fo  far  as 
He  is  Will  and  Love,  He  is  taught  of 
Himfelf,  feeing  that  He  is  alfo  Light 
and  Reafon,  and  He  willeth  nothing 
but  that  One  thing  which  He  is. 

Behold!  in  fuch  a  creature,  there  is 
no  longer  anything  willed  or  loved  but 
that  which  is  good,  becaufe  it  is  good, 
and  for  no  other  reafon  than  that  it  is 
good,  not  becaufe  it  is  this  or  that,  or 
pleafeth  or  difpleafeth  fuch  a  one,  is 
pleafant  or  painful,  bitter  or  fweet,  or 
what  not.  All  this  is  not  alked  about 
nor  looked  at.    And  fuch  a  creature 


io6    Theologria  Gennanica. 


doth  nothing  for  its  own  fake,  or  in 
its  own  name,  for  it  hath  quitted  all 
Self,  and  Me,  and  Mine,  and  We  and 
Ours,  and  the  Hke,  and  thefe  are  de- 
parted. It  no  longer  faith,  "I  love 
myfelf,  or  this  or  that,  or  what  not." 
And  if  you  were  to  alk  Love,  ''what 
loveft  thou?"  fhe  would  anfwer,  ''I 
love  Goodnefs."  ''Wherefore?"  "Be- 
caufe  it  is  good,  and  for  the  fake  of 
Goodnefs."  So  it  is  good  and  juft  and 
right  to  deem  that  if  there  were  aught 
better  than  God,  that  muft  be  loved 
better  than  God.  And  thus  God  loveth 
not  Himfelf  as  Himfelf,  but  as  Good- 
nefs.  And  if  there  were,  and  He  knew, 
ought  better  than  God,  He  would  love 
that  and  not  Himfelf.  Thus  the  Self 
and  the  Me  are  wholly  fundered  from 
God,  and  belong  to  Him  only  in  fo  far 
as  they  are  necelTary  for  Him  to  be  a 
Perfon. 

Behold!  all  that  we  have  faid  muft 
indeed  come  to  pafs  in  a  godlike  man, 


''ia  Gennanica.  i 


or  one  who  is  truly  ^'made  a  partaker 
of  the  divine  nature;"  for  elfe  he  would 
not  be  truly  fuch. 


CHAP.  XXXIII. 

How  when  a  Man  is  made  truly  godlike^  his 
Love  is  pure  and  unmixed ^  and  he  loveth 
all  Creatures y  and  doth  his  beft  for  them, 

TTENCE  it  followeth,  that  in  a  truly 
godlike  man,  his  love  is  pure  and 
unmixed,  and  full  of  kindnefs,  infomuch 
that  he  cannot  but  love  in  fmcerity  all 
men  and  things,  and  wifh  well,  and  do 
good  to  them,  and  rejoice  in  their  wel- 
fare. Yea,  let  them  do  what  they  will 
to  fuch  a  man,  do  him  wrong  or  kind- 
nefs, bear  him  love  or  hatred  or  the 
like,  yea,  if  one  could  kill  fuch  a  man  a 
hundred  times  over,  and  he  always  came 
to  life  again,  he  could  not  but  love  the 
very  man  who  had  fo  often  llain  him, 
although  he  had  been  treated  fo  unjuft- 
ly,  and  wickedly,  and  cruelly  by  him. 


io8     Theologia  Germanica. 


and  could  not  but  wifh  well,  and  do 
well  to  him,  and  £how  him  the  very 
greateft  kindnefs  in  his  power,  if  the 
other  would  but  only  receive  and  take 
it  at  his  hands.  The  proof  and  witnefs 
whereof  may  be  feen  in  Chrift;  for  he 
faid  to  Judas,  when  he  betrayed  him: 
Friend,  wherefore  art  thou  come?" 
Juft  as  if  he  had  faid:  "Thou  hateft 
me,  and  art  mine  enemy,  yet  I  love 
thee,  and  am  thy  friend.  Thou  de- 
fireft  and  rejoiceft  in  my  afflidion,  and 
doft  the  worft  thou  canft  unto  me ;  yet 
I  defire  and  wifh  thee  all  good,  and 
would  fain  give  it  thee,  and  do  it  for 
thee,  if  thou  wouldft  but  take  and  re- 
ceive it.''  As  though  God  in  human 
nature  were  faying:  "I  am  pure,  Am- 
ple Goodnefs,  and  therefore  I  cannot 
will,  or  defire,  or  rejoice  in,  or  do  or 
give  anything  but  goodnefs.  If  I  am 
to  reward  thee  for  thy  evil  and  wick- 
ednefs,  I  muft  do  it  with  goodnefs,  for 
I  am  and  have  nothing  elfe."  Hence 


ia  Ger77tanica.  lo 


therefore  God,  in  a  man  who  is  "made 
partaker  of  His  nature,"  defireth  and 
taketh  no  revenge  for  all  the  wrong 
that  is  or  can  be  done  unto  him.  This 
we  fee  in  Chrift,  when  he  faid:  "Fa- 
ther, forgive  them,  for  they  know  not 
what  they  do." 

Likewife  it  is  God's  property  that 
He  doth  not  conftrain  any  by  force  to 
do  or  not  to  do  anything,  but  He  al- 
loweth  every  man  to  do  and  leave  un- 
done according  to  his  will,  whether  it 
be  good  or  bad,  and  refifteth  none. 
This  too  we  fee  in  Chrift,  who  would 
not  refift  or  defend  himfelf  when  his 
enemies  laid  hands  on  him.  And  when 
Peter  would  have  defended  him,  he 
faid  unto  Peter:  "Put  up  thy  fword 
into  the  fheath:  the  cup  which  my  Fa- 
ther hath  given  me,  shall  I  not  drink 
it?"  Neither  may  a  man  who  is  made 
a  partaker  of  the  divine  nature,  opprefs 
or  grieve  any  one.  That  is,  it  never 
entereth  into  his  thoughts,  or  intents. 


no     Theolop-ja  Germantca. 


or  wifl:ies,  to  caufe  pain  or  diftrefs  to 
any,  either  by  deed  or  negled;,  by 
fpeech  or  filence. 

CHAP.  XXXIV. 

How  that  if  a  Man  will  attain  to  that  which 
is  heft^  he  mujt  for/wear  his  own  Will; 
and  he  who  helpeth  a  Man  to  his  own  Will 
helpeth  him  to  the  worjt  Thing  he  can. 

COME  may  fay:' "Now  fince  God 
willeth  and  defireth  and  doth  the 
beft  that  may  be  to  every  one.  He  ought 
fo  to  help  each  man  and  order  things 
for  him,  that  they  fhould  fall  out  ac- 
cording to  his  will  and  fulfil  his  defires, 
fo  that  one  might  be  a  Pope,  another  a 
Bifhop,  and  fo  forth."  Be  affured,  he 
who  helpeth  a  man  to  his  own  will, 
helpeth  him  to  the  worft  that  he  can. 
For  the  more  a  man  followeth  after 
his  own  felf-will,  and  self-will  grow- 
eth  in  him,  the  farther  off  is  he  from 
God,  the  true  Good,   [for  nothing 


'Theologia  Germanica.     1 1 1 

burneth  in  hell  but  felf-will.  There- 
fore it  hath  been  faid,  "  Put  off  thine 
own  will,  and  there  will  be  no  hell."] 
Now  God  is  very  willing  to  help  a 
man  and  bring  him  to  that  which  is 
beft  in  itfelf,  and  is  of  all  things  the 
beft  for  man.  But  to  this  end,  all  felf- 
will  mufi:  depart,  as  we  have  faid. 
And  God  would  fain  give  man  his  help 
and  counfel  thereunto,  for  fo  long  as  a 
man  is  feeking  his  own  good,  he  doth 
not  feek  what  is  beft  for  him,  and  will 
never  find  it.  For  a  man's  higheft 
good  would  be  and  truly  is,  that  he 
fhould  not  feek  himfelf  nor  his  own 
things,  nor  be  his  own  end  in  any  re- 
fpedt,  either  in  things  fpiritual  or  things 
natural,  but  fhould  feek  only  the  praife 
and  glory  of  God  and  His  holy  will. 
This  doth  God  teach  and  admonifh  us. 

Let  him  therefore  who  wifheth  that 
God  fhould  help  him  to  what  is  beft, 
and  beft  for  him,  give  diligent  heed  to 
God's  counfels  and  teachings,  and  obey 


1 1 2    Theolo^ia  Germanica. 


His  commandments;  thus,  and  not  elfe, 
will  he  have,  and  hath  already,  God's 
help.  Now  God  teacheth  and  admon- 
ifheth  man  to  forfake  himfelf  and  all 
things,  and  to  follow  Him  only.  "  For 
he  who  loveth  his  foul,"  *  that  is  him- 
felf, and  will  guard  it  and  keep  it,  *^he 
fhall  lofe  it;'*  that  is,  he  who  feeketh 
himfelf  and  his  own  advantage  in  all 
things,  in  fo  doing  lofeth  his  foul. 
"But  hewhohateth  his  foul  for  my  fake 
fhall  keep  it  unto  life  eternal;"  that  is, 
he  who  forfaketh  himfelf  and  his  own 
things,  and  giveth  up  his  own  will,  and 
fulfilleth  God's  will,  his  foul  will  be 
kept  and  preferved  unto  Life  Eternal. 

*  Mark  viii.  35.  Our  authorized  verfion  ufes  the  word 
"life,"  in  this  verfe,  but  as  that  would  not  quite  bring  out 
the  force  of  the  original,  I  have  ventured  to  ufe  the  fame 
word  for  ^jvxh  here,  by  which  it  is  tranllated  in  the  two 
fucceeding  verfes. 

Except  in  this  and  another  paflage,  where  in  quoting 
John  iii.  8.  Trvtina  is  tranllated,  as  in  Luther's  verfion, 
Spirit  inftead  of  Wind,  our  authorized  verfion  has  been 
always  adhered  to. — ^Tr. 


Theologia  Germanica.  113 


CHAP.  XXXV. 

How  there  is  deep  and  true  Humility  and 
Poorne/s  of  Spirit  in  a  Man  who  is  made 
a  Partaker  of  the  Divine  Nature" 

l\/rOREOVER,  in  a  man  who  is 

"made  a  partaker  of  the  divine 
nature/'  there  is  a  thorough  and  deep 
humility,  and  where  this  is  not,  the 
man  hath  not  been  '*made  a  partaker 
of  the  divine  nature."  So  Chrift  taught 
in  words  and  fulfilled  in  works.  And 
this  humility  fpringeth  up  in  the  man, 
becaufe  in  the  true  Light  he  feeth  (as 
it  alfo  really  is)  that  Subftance,  Life, 
Perceiving,  Knowledge,  Power,  and 
what  is  thereof,  do  all  belong  to  the 
True  Good,  and  not  to  the  creature; 
but  that  the  creature  of  itfelf  is  noth- 
ing and  hath  nothing,  and  that  when 
it  turneth  itfelf  afide  from  the  True 
Good  in  will  or  in  works,  nothing  is 
left  to  it  but  pure  evil.    And  therefore 


114     Theologia  Germanica. 

it  is  true  to  the  very  letter,  that  the 
creature,  as  creature,  hath  no  worthi- 
nefs  in  itfelf,  and  no  right  to  anything,, 
and  no  claim  over  any  one,  either  over 
God  or  over  the  creature,  and  that  it 
ought  to  give  itfelf  up  to  God  and  fub- 
mit  to  Him  becaufe  this  is  juft.  And 
this  is  the  chiefeft  and  moft  vv^eighty 
matter. 

Now,  if  we  ought  to  be,  and  defire 
to  be,  obedient  and  fubmit  unto  God, 
we  muft  alfo  fubmit  to  what  we  receive 
at  the  hands  of  any  of  his  creatures,  or 
our  fubmiffion  is  all  falfe.  From  this 
latter  article  floweth  true  humility,  as 
indeed  it  doth  alfo  from  the  former.* 
And  unlefs  this  verily  ought  to  be,  and 
were  wholly  agreeable  to  God's  juf- 
tice,  Chrift  would  not  have  taught  it 
in  words,  and  fulfilled  it  in  his  life. 
And  herein  there  is  a  veritable  mani- 
feftation  of  God ;  and  it  is  fo  of  a  truth, 
that  of  God's  truth  and  juftice  this 

*  Namely,  God"'s  having  a  right  to  our  obedience. 


ia  ^Germanica.  115 


creature  fhall  be  fubjedl  to  God  and  all 
creatures,  and  no  thing  or  perfon  fhall 
be  fubjed:  or  obedient  to  her.  God 
and  all  the  creatures  have  a  right  over 
her  and  to  her,  but  fhe  hath  a  right  to 
nothing:  flie  is  a  debtor  to  all,  and 
nothing  is  owning  to  her,  fo  that  fhe 
fhall  be  ready  to  bear  all  things  from 
others,  and  alfo  if  needs  be  to  do  all 
things  for  others.  And  out  of  this 
groweth  that  poornefs  of  fpirit  which 
Chrift  faid:  "BlefTed  are  the  poor  in 
fpirit"  (that  is  to  fay,  the  truly  hum- 
ble) "for  theirs  is  the  Kingdom  of 
Heaven."  All  this  hath  Chrifl  taught 
in  words  and  fulfilled  with  his  life. 


ii6     Theologia  Germanica. 


CHAP.  XXXVI. 

How  nothing  is  contrary  to  God  but  Sin  only ; 
and  what  Sin  is  in  Kind  and  A51. 

PURTHER  ye  fhall  mark:  when  it 
is  faid  that  fuch  a  thing,  or  fuch  a 
deed  is  contrary  to  God,  or  that  fuch 
a  thing  is  hateful  to  God  and  grieveth 
His  Spirit,  ye  mufi:  know  that  no  crea- 
ture is  contrary  to  God,  or  hateful  or 
grievous  unto  Him,  in  fo  far  as  it  is, 
liveth,  knoweth,  hath  power  to  do,  or 
produce  aught,  and  fo  forth,  for  all  this 
is  not  contrary  to  God.  That  an  evil 
fpirit,  or  a  man  is,  liveth,  and  the  like, 
is  altogether  good  and  of  God;  for 
God  is  the  Being  of  all  that  are,  and 
the  Life  of  all  that  live,  and  the  Wif- 
dom  of  all  the  wife;  for  all  things 
have  their  being  more  truly  in  God 
than  in  themfelves,  and  alfo  their  powers, 
knowledge,  life,  and  the  reft;  for  if  it 
were  not  fo,  God  would  not  be  all  good. 


Theolo^ia  Germanica.     1 1 


And  thus  all  creatures  are  good.  Now 
what  is  good  is  agreeable  to  God  and 
He  will  have  it.    Therefore  it  cannot 


But  what  then  is  there  which  is 
contrary  to  God  and  hateful  to  Him? 
Nothing  but  Sin.  But  what  is  Sin? 
Mark  this :  Sin  is  nothing  elfe  than  that 
the  creature  willeth  otherwife  than  God 
willeth,  and  contrary  to  Him.  Each 
of  us  may  fee  this  in  himfelf;  for  he 
who  willeth  otherwife  than  I,  or  whofe 
will  is  contrary  to  mine,  is  my  foe ;  but 
he  who  willeth  the  fame  as  I,  is  my 
friend,  and  I  love  him.  It  is  even  fo 
with  God:  and  that  is  fin,  and  is  con- 
trary to  God,  and  hateful  and  grievous 
to  Him.  And  he  who  willeth,  fpeak- 
eth,  or  is  filent,  doeth  or  leaveth  un- 
done, otherwife  than  as  I  will,  is  con- 
trary to  me,  and  an  offence  unto  me. 
So  it  is  alfo  with  God :  when  a  man 
willeth  otherwife  than  God,  or  con- 
trary to  God,  whatever  he  doeth  or 


be  contrary  to  Him. 


1 1 8    Theologia  Germanica^ 


leaveth  undone,  in  fhort  all  that  pro- 
ceedeth  from  him,  is  contrary  to  God, 
and  is  fin.  And  whatfoever  Will  will- 
eth  otherwife  than  God,  is  againft 
God's  will.  As  Chrift  faid :  he  who 
is  not  with  me  is  againft  me.'*  Here- 
by may  each  man  fee  plainly  whether 
or  not  he  be  without  fin,  and  whether 
or  not  he  be  committing  fin,  and  what 
fin  is,  and  how  fin  ought  to  be  atoned 
for,  and  wherewith  it  may  be  healed. 
And  this  contradiction  to  God's  will  is 
what  we  call,  and  is,  difobedience. 
And  therefore  Adam,  the  I,  the  Self, 
Self-will,  Sin,  or  the  Old  Man,  the 
turning  afide  or  departing  from  God, 
do  all  mean  one  and  the  fame  thing. 


Theologia  Ger7nanica.     1 1 9 


CHAP.  XXXVII. 

How  in  God,  as  God,  there  can  neither  he 
Grief,  Sorrow,  Difpleajurey  nor  the  like, 
but  how  it  is  otherwije  in  a  Man  who  is 
"  made  a  Far  taker  of  the  Divine  Nature'^ 

TN  God,  as  God,  neither  forrow  nor 
grief  nor  difpleafure  can  have  place, 
and  yet  God  is  grieved  on  account  of 
men's  fins.  Now  fince  grief  cannot 
befall  God  without  the  creature,  this 
Cometh  to  pafs  where  He  is  made  man, 
or  when  He  dwelleth  in  a  godlike  man. 
And  there,  behold,  fin  is  fo  hateful  to 
God,  and  grieveth  Him  fo  fore,  that 
He  would  willingly  fuffer  agony  and 
death,  if  one  man's  fins  might  be  there- 
by wafhed  out.  And  if  He  were  afi^ied 
whether  He  would  rather  live  and  that 
fin  fhould  remain,  or  die  and  defliroy 
fin  by  His  death.  He  would  anfwer 
that  He  would  a  thoufand  times  rather 
die.    For  to  God  one  man's  fin  is  more 


120     "Theolo^ia  Germanica. 


hateful,  and  grieveth  Him  worfe  than 
His  own  agony  and  death.  Now  if 
one  man's  fm  grieveth  God  fo  fore, 
what  muft  the  fins  of  all  men  do? 
Hereby  ye  may  confider,  how  greatly 
man  grieveth  God  with  his  fins. 

And  therefore  where  God  is  made 
man,  or  when  He  dwelleth  in  a  truly 
godlike  man,  nothing  is  complained  of 
but  fin,  and  nothing  elfe  is  hateful;  for 
all  that  is,  and  is  done,  without  fin,  is  as 
God  will  have  it,  and  is  His.  But  the 
mourning  and  forrow  of  a  truly  god- 
like man  on  account  of  fm,  mult  and 
ought  to  lafl:  until  death,  fhould  he 
live  till  the  day  of  judgment,  or  forever. 
From  this  caufe  arofe  that  hidden  an- 
guifh  of  Chrift,  of  which  none  can  tell 
or  knoweth  aught  fave  himfelf  alone, 
and  therefore  it  is  called  a  myftery. 

Moreover,  this  is  an  attribute  of 
God,  which  He  will  have,  and  is  well 
pleafed  to  fee  in  a  man;  and  it  is  in- 
deed God's  own,  for  it  belongeth  not 


ia  Germanica.  121 


unto  the  man,  he  cannot  make  fin  to 
be  fo  hateful  to  himfelf.  And  where 
God  findeth  this  grief  for  fin,  he  loveth 
and  efi:eemeth  it  more  than  aught  elfe; 
becaufe  it  is,  of  all  things,  the  bittereft 
and  faddefi:  that  man  can  endure. 

All  that  is  here  written  touching  this 
divine  attribute,  which  God  will  have 
man  to  pofi^efs,  that  it  may  be  brought 
into  exercife  in  a  living  foul,  is  taught 
us  by  that  true  Light,  which  alfo 
teacheth  the  man  in  whom  this  god- 
like forrow  worketh,  not  to  take  it 
unto  himfelf,  any  more  than  if  he 
were  not  there.  For  fuch  a  man 
feeleth  in  himfelf  that  he  hath  not 
made  it  to  fpring  up  in  his  heart,  and 
that  it  is  none  of  his,  but  belongeth  to 
God  alone. 


122     Theologia  Germanica. 


CHAP.  XXXVIII. 

How  we  are  to  put  on  the  Life  of  Chrijl 
from  Love  J  and  not  for  the  Jake  of  Reward^ 
and  how  we  mujt  never  grow  carelefs  con- 
cerning ity  or  cajt  it  off, 

^^[OW,  wherever  a  man  hath  been 
made  a  partaker  of  the  divine 
nature,  in  him  is  fulfilled  the  beft  and 
nobleft  life,  and  the  worthieft  in  God's 
eyes,  that  hath  been  or  can  be.  And 
of  that  eternal  love  which  loveth  Good- 
nefs  as  Goodnefs  and  for  the  fake  of 
Goodnefs,  a  true,  noble,  Chrift-like 
life  is  fo  greatly  beloved,  that  it  will 
never  be  forfaken  or  caft  off.  Where 
a  man  hath  tafted  this  life,  it  is  impof- 
fible  for  him  ever  to  part  with  it,  were 
he  to  live  until  the  Judgment  Day. 
And  though  he  muft  die  a  thoufand 
deaths,  and  though  all  the  fufferings 
that  ever  befel  all  creatures  could  be 
heaped  upon  him,  he  would  rather 


Theologia  Germanica,  123 

undergo  them  all,  than  fall  away  from 
this  excellent  life;  and  if  he  could  ex- 
change it  for  an  angel's  life,  he  would  not. 

This  is  our  anfwer  to  the  queftion, 
**if  a  man,  by  putting  on  Chrift's  life, 
can  get  nothing  more  than  he  hath 
already,  and  ferve  no  end,  what  good 
will  it  do  him?''  This  life  is  not 
chofen  in  order  to  ferve  any  end,  or  to 
get  anything  by  it,  but  for  love  of  its 
noblenefs,  and  becaufe  God  loveth  and 
efteemeth  it  fo  greatly.  And  whoever 
faith  that  he  hath  had  enough  of  it, 
and  may  now  lay  it  afide,  hath  never 
tafted  nor  known  it;  for  he  who  hath 
truly  felt  or  tafted  it,  can  never  give  it 
up  again.  And  he  who  hath  put  on 
the  life  of  Chrift  with  the  intent  to 
win  or  deferve  aught  thereby,  hath 
taken  it  up  as  an  hireling  and  not  for 
love,  and  is  altogether  without  it.  For 
he  who  doth  not  take  it  up  for  love, 
hath  none  of  it  at  all;  he  may  dream 
indeed  that  he  hath  put  it  on,  but  he 


1 24    Theologia  Gennanica, 


is  deceived.  Chrift  did  not  lead  fuch 
a  life  as  his  for  the  fake  of  reward,  but 
out  of  love;  and  love  maketh  fuch  a 
life  light  and  taketh  away  all  its  hard- 
fhips,  fo  that  it  becometh  fweet  and  is 
gladly  endured.  But  to  him  who  hath 
not  put  it  on  from  love,  but  hath  done 
fo,  as  he  dreameth,  for  the  fake  of  re- 
ward, it  is  utterly  bitter  and  a  weari- 
nefs,  and  he  would  fain  be  quit  of  it. 
And  it  is  a  fure  token  of  an  hireling  that 
he  wifheth  his  work  were  at  an  end. 
But  he  who  truly  loveth  it,  is  not  of- 
fended at  its  toil  nor  fuffering,  nor  the 
length  of  time  it  lafteth.  Therefore 
it  is  written,  '*to  ferve  God  and  live  to 
Him,  is  eafy  to  him  who  doeth  it." 
Truly  it  is  fo  to  him  who  doth  it  for 
love,  but  it  is  hard  and  wearifome  to 
him  who  doth  it  for  hire.  It  is  the 
fame  with  all  virtue  and  good  works, 
and  likewife  with  order,  laws,  obedience 
to  precepts,  and  the  like.  But  God  re- 
joiceth  more  over  one  man  who  truly 
loveth,  than  over  a  thoufand  hirelings. 


ia  Germanica.  125 


CHAP.  XXXIX. 

How  God  will  have  Order ^  Cujtom^  Meafure^ 
and  the  like  in  the  Creature^  feeing  that 
he  cannot  have  them  without  the  Great ure, 
and  of  four  forts  of  Men  who  are  concerned 
with  this  Order^  Law^  and  Guftom. 

TT  is  faid,  and  truly,  God  is  above  and 
without  cuftom,  meafure,  and  or- 
der, and  yet  giveth  to  all  things  their 
cuftom,  order,  meafure,  fitnefs,  and  the 
like.  The  which  is  to  be  thus  under- 
ftood.  God  will  have  all  thefe  to  be, 
and  they  cannot  have  a  being  in  Him- 
felf  without  the  creature,  for  in  God, 
apart  from  the  creature,  there  is  nei- 
ther order  nor  diforder,  cuftom  nor 
chance,  and  fo  forth;  therefore  he  will 
have  things  fo  that  thefe  fhall  be,  and 
fhall  be  put  in  exercife.  For  wherever 
there  is  word,  work,  or  change,  thefe 
muft  be  either  according  to  order,  cuf- 
tom, meafure  and  fitnefs,  or  according 


126     Theologia  Germanica. 

to  unfitnefs  and  diforder.  Now  fitnefs 
and  order  are  better  and  nobler  than 
their  contraries. 

But  ye  mull:  mark:  There  are  four 
forts  of  men  who  are  concerned  with 
order,  laws,  and  cuftoms.  Some  keep 
them  neither  for  God's  fake,  nor  to 
•  ferve  their  own  ends,  but  from  con- 
ftraint;  thefe  have  as  little  to  do  with 
them  as  may  be,  and  find  them  a  bur- 
den and  heavy  yoke.  The  fecond  fort 
obey  for  the  fake  of  reward:  thefe  are 
men  who  know  nothing  befide,  or  bet- 
ter than,  laws  and  precepts,  and  imagine 
that  by  keeping  them  they  may  obtain 
the  kingdom  of  Heaven  and  Eternal 
Life,  and  not  otherwife;  and  him  who 
pradlifeth  many  ordinances  they  think 
to  be  holy,  and  him  who  omitteth  any 
tittle  of  them  they  think  to  be  loft. 
Such  men  are  very  much  in  earneft 
and  give  great  diligence  to  the  work, 
and  yet  they  find  it  a  wearinefs.  The 
third   fort  are  wicked,  falfe-hearted 


Theologia  Germanica.  127 

men,  who  dream  and  declare  that  they 
are  perfect  and  need  no  ordinances,  and 
make  a  mock  of  them. 

The  fourth  are  thofe  who  are  en- 
hghtened  with  the  True  Light,  who 
do  not  prad:ife  thefe  things  for  reward, 
for  they  neither  look  nor  defire  to  get 
anything  thereby,  but  all  that  they  do 
is  from  love  alone.  And  thefe  are  not 
fo  anxious  and  eager  to  accomplifli 
much  and  with  all  fpeed  as  the  fecond 
fort,  but  rather  feek  to  do  things  in 
peace  and  good  leifure;  and  if  fome 
not  weighty  matter  be  negledled,  they 
do  not  therefore  think  themfelves  loft, 
for  they  know  very  well  that  order  and 
fitnefs  are  better  than  diforder,  and 
therefore  they  choofe  to  walk  orderly, 
yet  know  at  the  fame  ^ime  that  their 
falvation  hangeth  not  thereon.  There- 
fore they  are  not  in  fo  great  anxiety 
as  the  others.  Thefe  men  are  judged 
and  blamed  by  both  the  other  parties, 
for  the  hirelings  fay  that  they  negledl 


128     Theologia  Germanica. 


their  duties  and  accufe  them  of  being 
unrighteous,  and  the  like;  and  the 
others,  (that  is,  the  Free  Spirits,*)  hold 
them  in  derifion,  and  fay  that  they 
cleave  unto  weak  and  beggarly  ele- 
ments, and  the  like.  But  thefe  en- 
lightened men  keep  the  middle  path, 
which  is  alfo  the  beft;  for  a  lover  of 
God  is  better  and  dearer  to  him  than 
a  hundred  thoufand  hirelings.  It  is 
the  fame  with  all  their  doings. 

Furthermore,  ye  muft  mark,  that  to 
receive  God's  commands  and  his  coun- 
fel  and  all  his  teaching,  is  the  privi- 
lege of  the  inward  man,  after  that  he 
is  united  with  God.  And  where  there 
is  fuch  a  union,  the  outward  man  is 
furely  taught  and  ordered  by  the  inward 
man,  fo  that*  no  outward  command- 
ment or  teaching  is  needed.  But  the 
commandments  and  laws  of  men  belong 
to  the  outer  man,  and  are  needful  for 


*  This  Is  evidently  an  allufion  to  the  "  Brethren  of  the 
Free  Spirit,"  mentioned  in  the  Hiftorical  Introduction. 


ia  Germanica.  129 


thofe  men  who  know  nothing  better, 
for  elfe  they  would  not  know  what  to 
do  and  what  to  refrain  from,  and 
would  become  like  unto  the  dogs  or 
other  beafls. 

CHAP.  XL. 

A  good  Account  of  the  Falje  Light  and  its  Kind, 

"^[OW  I  have  faid  that  there  is  a 
^  Falfe  Light;  but  I  muft  tell  you 
more  particularly  what  it  is,  and  what 
belongeth  thereunto.  Behold,  all  that 
is  contrary  to  the  True  Light  belongeth 
unto  the  Falfe.  To  the  True  Light 
it  belongeth  of  neceffity,  that  it  feek- 
eth  not  to  deceive,  nor  confenteth  that 
any  fhould  be  wronged  or  deceived, 
neither  can  it  be  deceived.  But  the 
falfe  is  deceived  and  a  delufion,  and 
deceiveth  others  along  with  itfelf. 
For  God  deceiveth  no  man,  nor  will- 
eth  that  any  fhould  be  deceived,  and 
fo  it  is  with  His  True  Light.  Now 


130    Theologia  Germanica. 


mark,  the  True  Light  is  God  or  divine, 
but  the  Falfe  light  is  Nature  or  natural. 
Now  it  belongeth  to  God,  that  He  is 
neither  this  nor  that,  neither  willeth 
nor  defireth,  nor  feeketh  anything  in 
the  man  whom  he  hath  made  a  par- 
taker of  the  divine  nature,  fave  good- 
nefs  as  Goodnefs,  and  for  the  fake  of 
Goodnefs.  This  is  the  token  of  the 
True  Light.  But  to  the  Creature  and 
Nature  it  belongeth  to  be  fomewhat, 
this  or  that,  and  to  intend  and  feek 
fome  thing,  this  or  that,  and  not  fimply 
what  is  good  without  any  Wherefore. 
And  as  God  and  the  True  Light  are 
without  all  felf-will,  felfifhnefs,  and 
felf-feeking,  fo  do  the  I,  the  Me,  the 
Mine,  and  the  like,  belong  unto  the 
natural  and  falfe  Light;  for  in  all  things 
it  feeketh  itfelf  and  its  own  ends,  rather 
than  Goodnefs  for  the  fake  of  Good- 
nefs. This  is  its  property,  and  the 
property  of  nature  or  the  carnal  man 
in  each  of  us. 


'Theologia  Germanka.     1 3 1 


Now  mark  how  it  firft  cometh  to 
be  deceived.  It  doth  not  defire  nor 
choofe  Goodnefs  as  Goodnefs,  and  for 
the  fake  of  Goodnefs,  but  defireth  and 
choofeth  itfelf  and  its  own  ends,  rather 
than  the  Higheft  Good ;  and  this  is  an 
error,  and  is  the  firft  deception. 

Secondly,  it  dreameth  itfelf  to  be 
that  which  it  is  not,  for  it  dreameth 
itfelf  to  be  God,  and  is  truly  nothing 
but  nature.  And  becaufe  it  imagineth 
itfelf  to  be  God,  it  taketh  to  itfelf 
what  belongeth  to  God;  and  not  that 
which  is  God's,  when  He  is  made  man,, 
or  dwelleth  in  a  godlike  man,  but  that 
which  is  God's,  and  belongeth  unto 
Him,  as  He  is  in  eternity,  without  the 
creature.  For,  as  it  is  faid,  God  need- 
eth  nothing,  is  free,  not  bound  to  work, 
apart  by  himfelf,  above  all  things,  and 
fo  forth  (which  is  all  true;)  and  God 
is  unchangeable,  not  to  be  moved  by 
anything,  and  is  without  confcience, 
and  what  He  doeth  that  is  well  done; 


132     Theologia  Germanica. 


"So  will  I  be,"  faith  the  Falfe  Light, 
**for  the  more  like  God  one  is,  the 
better  one  is,  and  therefore  I  will  be 
like  God  and  will  be  God,  and  will  fit 
and  go  and  ftand  at  His  right  hand:" 
as  Lucifer  the  Evil  Spirit  alfo  faid.* 
Now  God  in  Eternity  is  without  con- 
tradiction, fuffering  and  grief,  and  no- 
thing can  hurt  or  vex  him  of  all  that 
is  or  befalleth.  But  with  God,  when 
He  is  made  Man,  it  is  otherwife. 

In  a  word:  all  that  can  be  deceived 
is  deceived  by  this  Falfe  Light.  Now 
lince  all  is  deceived  by  this  Falfe  Light 
that  can  be  deceived,  and  all  that  is 
creature  and  nature,  and  all  that  is  not 
God  nor  of  God,  may  be  deceived,  and 
fince  this  Falfe  Light  itfelf  is  nature, 
it  is  pofTible  for  it  to  be  deceived.  And 
therefore  it  becometh  and  is  deceived 
by  itfelf,  in  that  it  rifeth  and  climbeth 
to  fuch  a  height  that  it  dreameth  itfelf 
to  be  above  nature,  and  fancieth  it  to 

*  Ifaiah  xiv,  13,  14., 


Theologia  Germanica.  133 

be  impoffible  for  nature  or  any  creature 
to  get  fo  high,  and  therefore  it  cometh 
to  imagine  itfelf  God.  And  hence  it 
taketh  unto  itfelf  all  that  belongeth 
unto  God,  and  fpecially  what  is  His  as 
He  is  in  Eternity,  and  not  as  He  is 
made  man.  Therefore  it  thinketh  and 
declareth  itfelf  to  be  above  all  works, 
words,  cuftoms,  laws  and  order,  and 
above  that  life  which  Chrift  led  in  the 
body  which  he  pofTefTed  in  his  holy 
human  nature.  So  likewife  it  profef- 
feth  to  remain  unmoved  by  any  of  the 
creature's  works;  whether  they  be  good 
or  evil,  againft  God  or  not,  is  all  alike 
to  it;  and  it  keepeth  itfelf  apart  from 
all  things,  like  God  in  Eternity,  and  all 
that  belongeth  to  God  and  to  no  crea- 
ture it  taketh  unto  itfelf,  and  vainly 
dreameth  that  this  belongeth  unto  it; 
and  deemeth  itfelf  well  worthy  of  all 
this,  and  that  it  is  jufi:  and  right  that 
all  creatures  fhould  ferve  it,  and  do  it 
homage.    And  thus  no  contradidlion. 


134     Theologia  Germanica. 


fufFering  or  grief  is  left  unto  it;  indeed 
nothing  but  a  mere  bodily  and  carnal 
perceiving:  this  muft  remain  until  the 
death  of  the  body,  and  what  fuffering 
may  accrue  therefrom.  Furthermore, 
this  Falfe  Light  imagineth,  and  faith, 
that  it  has  got  beyond  Chrift's  life  in 
the  flefh,  and  that  outward  things  have 
loft  all  power  to  touch  it  or  give  it 
pain,  as  it  was  with  Chrifl:  after  his  re- 
furredtion,  together  with  many  other 
ftrange  and  falfe  conceits  which  arife 
and  grow  up  from  thefe. 

And  now  lince  this  Falfe  Light  is 
nature,  it  pofTelTeth  the  property  of  na- 
ture, which  is  to  intend  and  feek  itfelf 
and  its  own  in  all  things,  and  what 
may  be  moft  expedient,  eafy  and  plea- 
fant  to  nature  and  itfelf.  And  becaufe 
it  is  deceived,  it  imagineth  and  pro- 
claimeth  it  to  be  beft  that  each  fhould 
feek  and  do  what  is  beft  for  himfelf. 
It  refufeth  alfo  to  take  knowledge  of 
any  Good  but  its  own,  that  which 


Theologia  Germanica.  135 

it  vainly  fancieth  to  be  Good.  And  if 
one  fpeak  to  it  of  the  One,  true,  ever- 
lafting  Good,  which  is  neither  this  nor 
that,  it  knoweth  nothing  thereof,  and 
thinketh  fcorn  of  it.  And  this  is  not 
unreafonable,  for  nature  as  nature  can- 
not attain  thereunto.  Now  this  Falfe 
Light  is  merely  nature,  and  therefore 
it  cannot  attain  thereunto. 

Further,  this  Falfe  Light  faith  that 
it  hath  got  above  confcience  and  the 
fenfe  of  fin,  and  that  whatever  it  doeth 
is  right.  Yea,  it  was  faid  by  fuch  a 
falfe  free  fpirit,  who  was  in  this  error, 
that  if  he  had  killed  ten  men  he  fhould 
have  as  little  fenfe  of  guilt  as  if  he  had 
killed  a  dog.  Briefly:  this  falfe  and 
deceived  Light  fleeth  all  that  is  harfh 
and  contrary  to  nature,  for  this  belong- 
eth  to  it,  feeing  that  it  is  nature.  And 
feeing  alfo  that  it  is  fo  utterly  deceived 
as  to  dream  that  it  is  God,  it  were  rea- 
dy to  fwear  by  all  that  is  holy,  that  it 
knoweth  truly  what  is  beft,  and  that 
P 


136    Theologia  Germanica, 


t>oth  in  belief  and  pradice  it  hath 
reached  the  very  lummit.  For  this 
caufe  it  cannot  be  converted  or  guided 
into  the  right  path,  even  as  it  is  with 
the  Evil  Spirit. 

Mark  further:  in  fo  far  as  this  Light 
imagineth  itfelf  to  be  God  and  taketh 
his  attributes  unto  itfelf,  it  is  Lucifer, 
the  Evil  Spirit;  but  in  fo  far  as  it  fet- 
teth  at  nought  the  life  of  Chrift,  and 
other  things  belonging  to  the  True 
Light,  which  have  been  taught  and 
fulfilled  by  Chrifl,  it  is  Antichrift,  for 
it  teacheth  contrary  to  Chrift.  And 
as  this  Light  is  deceived  by  its  own 
cunning  and  difcernment,  fo  all  that  is 
not  God,  or  of  God,  is  deceived  by  it, 
that  is,  all  men  who  are  not  enlighten- 
ed bv  the  True  Light  and  its  love. 
For  all  vrho  are  enlightened  by  the 
True  Light  can  never  more  be  de- 
ceived, but  whofo  hath  it  not  and 
choofeth  to  walk  by  the  Falfe  Light, 
he  is  deceived. 


Theologia  Germanica.     1 37 


This  Cometh  herefrom,  that  all  men 
In  whom  the  True  Light  is  not,  are 
bent  upon  themfelves,  and  think  much 
of  themfelves,  and  feek  and  propofe 
their  own  ends  in  all  things,  and  what- 
ever is  moft  pleafant  and  convenient  to 
themfelves  they  hold  to  be  beft.  And 
whofo  declareth  the  fame  to  be  beft, 
and  helpeth  and  teacheth  them  to  attain 
it,  him  they  follow  after,  and  maintain 
to  be  the  beft  and  wifeft  of  teachers. 
Now  the  Falfe  Light  teacheth  them 
this  very  doctrine,  and  fhoweth  them 
all  the  means  to  come  by  their  defire; 
therefore  all  thofe  follow  after  it,  who 
know  not  the  True  Light.  And  thus 
they  are  together  deceived. 

It  is  faid  of  Antichrift,  that  when  he 
Cometh,  he  who  hath  not  the  feal  of 
God  in  his  forehead,  followeth  after 
him,  but  as  many  as  have  the  feal  fol- 
low not  after  him.  This  agreeth  with 
what  hath  been  faid.  It  is  indeed  true, 
that  it  is  good  for  a  m.an  that  he  fhould 


138     Theologia  Germanica. 


defire,  or  come  by  his  own  good.  But- 
this  cannot  come  to  pafs  fo  long  as  a 
man  is  feeking,  or  purpofing  his  own 
good;  for  if  he  is  to  find  and  come  by 
his  own  higheft  good,  he  mufi:  lofe  it 
that  he  may  find  it.  [As  Chrift  faid: 
"He  who  loveth  his  life  fhall  lofe  it." 
That  is;  he  fhall  forfake  and  die  to  the 
defires  of  the  fle£h,  and  fhall  not  obey 
his  own  will  nor  the  lufts  of  the  body, 
but  obey  the  commands  of  God  and 
thofe  who  are  in  authority  over  him, 
and  not  feek  his  own,  either  in  fpiritual 
or  natural  things,  but  only  the  praife 
and  glory  of  God  in  all  things.  For 
he  who  thus  lofeth  his  life  fhall  find  it 
again  in  Eternal  Life.  That  is :  all  the 
goodnefs,  help,  comfort,  and  joy  which 
are  in  the  creature,  in  heaven  or  on 
earth,  a  true  lover  of  God  findeth  com- 
prehended in  God  Himfelf;  yea,  un- 
fpeakably  more,  and  as  much  nobler 
and  more  perfedl  as  God  the  Creator 
is  better,  nobler,  and  more  perfed  than 


Theologia  Germanica.  139 


His  creature.  But  by  thefe  excellen- 
cies in  the  creature  the  Falfe  Light  is 
deceived,  and  feeketh  nothing  but  itfelf 
and  its  own  in  all  things.  Therefore 
it  Cometh  never  to  the  right  way.] 

Further,  this  Falfe  Light  faith,  that 
we  fhould  be  without  confcience  or 
fenfe  of  fin,  and  that  it  is  a  weaknefs 
and  folly  to  have  anything  to  do  with 
them :  and  this  it  will  prove  by  faying 
that  Chrifl:  was  without  confcience  and 
fenfe  of  fin.  We  may  anfwer  and  fay: 
Satan  is  alfo  without  them,  and  is  none 
the  better  for  that.  Mark  what  a  fenfe 
of  fin  is.  It  is  that  we  perceive  how 
man  has  turned  away  from  God  in  his 
will  (this  is  what  we  call  fin,)  and  that 
this  is  man's  fault,  not  God's,  for  God 
is  guiltlefs  of  fin.  Now,  who  is  there 
that  knoweth  himfelf  to  be  free  from 
fin  fave  Chrifi:  alone?  Scarcely  will 
any  other  affirm  this.  Now  he  who 
is  without  fenfe  of  fin  is  either  Chrifi: 
or  the  Evil  Spirit. 


140     Theologia  Germanka. 

Briefly :  where  this  True  Light  is, 
there  is  a  true,  juft  life  fuch  as  God  loveth 
and  efteemeth.  And  if  the  man's  Ufe 
is  not  perfed:  as  Chrift's  was,  yet  it  is 
framed  and  builded  after  his,  and  his  hfc 
is  loved,  together  with  all  that  agreeth 
with  decency,  order,  and  all  other  vir- 
tues, and  all  Self-will,  I,  Mine,  Me,  and 
the  like,  is  loft;  nothing  is  purpofed  or 
fought  but  Goodnefs,  for  the  fake  of 
Goodnefs,  and  as  Goodnefs.  But  where 
that  Falfe  Light  is,  there  men  become 
heedlefs  of  Chrift's  life  and  all  virtue, 
and  feek  and  intend  whatever  is  conve- 
nient and  pleafant  to  nature.  From 
this  arifeth  a  falfe,  licentious  freedom, 
fo  that  men  growregardlefs  and  carelefs 
of  everything.  For  the  True  Light  is  \ 
God's  feed,  and  therefore  it  bringeth 
forth  thefruitsof  God.  And  fo  likewife 
the  Falfe  Light  is  the  feed  of  the  Devil: 
and  where  that  is  fown,  the  fruits  of 
the  Devil  fpring  up — nay,  the  very  De- 
vil himfelf.  This  ye  may  underftand 
by  giving  heed  to  what  hath  been  faid. 


Theologia  Germanica.  141 


CHAP.  XLI. 

How  that  he  is  to  he  called^  and  is  truly ^  a 
Partaker  of  the  Divine  Nature^  who  is 
illuminated  with  the  Divine  Light,  and 
inflamed  with  Eternal  Love,  and  how 
Light  and  Knowledge  are  worth  nothing 
without  Love, 

COME  may  alk,  *'What  is  it  to  be 
*a  partaker  of  the  divine  nature/ 
or  a  godlike  man?"  Anfwer:  he  who 
is  imbued  with  or  illuminated  by  the 
Eternal  or  divine  Light,  and  inflamed 
or  confumed  with  Eternal  or  divine 
love,  he  is  a  godlike  man  and  a  parta- 
ker of  the  divine  nature;  and  of  the 
nature  of  this  True  Light  we  have  faid 
fomewhat  already. 

But  ye  muft  know  that  this  Light  or 
knowledge  is  worth  nothing  without 
Love.  This  ye  may  fee  if  ye  call  to 
mind,  that  though  a  man  may  know 
very  well  what  is  virtue  or  wickednefs, 
yet  if  he  doth  not  love  virtue,  he  is  not 


142    Theologta  Germanica. 


virtuous,  for  he  obeyeth  vice.  But  if 
he  loveth  virtue  he  followeth  after  it, 
and  his  love  maketh  him  an  enemy  to 
w^ickednefs,  fo  that  he  will  not  do  or 
pradlife  it,  and  hateth  it  alfo  in  other 
men;  and  he  loveth  virtue  fo  that  he 
would  not  leave  a  virtue  unpra(5tifed 
even  if  he  might,  and  this  for  no  re- 
ward, but  limply  for  the  love  of  virtue. 
And  to  him  virtue  is  its  own  reward, 
and  he  is  content  therewith,  and  would 
take  no  treafure  or  riches  in  exchange 
for  it.  Such  an  one  is  already  a  virtu- 
ous man,  or  he  is  in  the  way  to  be  fo. 
And  he  who  is  a  truly  virtuous  man 
would  not  ceafe  to  be  fo,  to  gain  the 
whole  world,  yea,  he  would  rather  die 
a  miferable  death. 

It  is  the  fame  with  juftice.  Many  a 
man  knoweth  full  well  what  is  juft  or 
unjuft,  and  yet  neither  is  nor  ever  will 
become  a  juft  man.  For  he  loveth 
not  juftice,  and  therefore  he  worketh 
wickednefs  and  injuftice.    If  he  loved 


Theologia  Ger^nanica.  143 

juftice,  he  would  not  do  an  unjuft  thing; 
for  he  would  feel  fuch  hatred  and  in- 
dignation towards  injuftice  wherever 
he  faw  it,  that  he  would  do  or  fuffer 
anything  that  injuftice  might  be  put  an 
end  to,  and  men  might  become  juft. 
And  he  would  rather  die  than  do  an 
injuftice,  and  all  this  for  nothing  but 
the  love  of  juftice.  And  to  him,  juf- 
tice is  her  own  reward,  and  rewardeth 
him  with  herfelf;  and  fo  there  liveth 
a  juft  man,  and  he  would  rather  die  a 
thoufand  times  over  than  live  as  an  un- 
juft man.  It  is  the  fame  with  truth: 
a  man  may  know  full  well  what  is  true 
or  a  lie,  but  if  he  loveth  not  the  truth 
he  is  not  a  true  man;  but  if  he  loveth, 
it  is  with  truth  even  as  with  juftice. 
Of  juftice  fpeaketh  Ifaiah  in  the  5th 
chapter:  *'Woe  unto  them  that  call 
evil  good, and  good  evil;  that  put  dark- 
nefs  for  light,  and  light  for  darknefs; 
that  put  bitter  for  fweet,  and  fweet  for 
bitter!" 


144     Theologia  Germanica. 


Thus  may  we  perceive  that  knowl- 
edge and  light  profit  nothing  without 
Love.  We  fee  this  in  the  Evil  Spirit; 
he  perceiveth  and  knoweth  good  and 
evil,  right  and  wrong,  and  the  like;  but 
fince  he  hath  no  love  for  the  good  that 
he  feeth,  he  becometh  not  good,  as  he 
would  if  he  had  any  love  for  the  truth 
and  other  virtues  which  he  feeth.  It 
is  indeed  true  that  Love  muft  be  guid- 
ed and  taught  of  Knowledge,  but  if 
Knowledge  be  not  followed  by  Love,  it 
will  avail  nothing.  It  is  the  fame  with 
God  and  divine  things.  Let  a  man 
know  much  about  God  and  divine 
things,  nay,  dream  that  he  feeth  and 
underftandeth  what  God  himfelf  is,  if 
he  have  not  Love,  he  will  never  become 
like  unto  God,  or  a  partaker  of  the 
divine  nature."  But  if  there  be  true 
Love  along  with  his  knowledge,  he 
cannot  but  cleave  to  God,  and  forfake 
all  that  is  not  God  or  of  Him,  and 
hate  it  and  fight  againfl:  it,  and  find  it 
a  crofs  and  a  forrow. 


Theologia  Germanica.  145 


And  this  Love  fo  maketh  a  man  one 
with  God,  that  he  can  never  more  be 
feparated  from  Him. 

CHAP.  XLII. 

A  ^eflion:  whether  we  can  know  God  and 
not  love  Him^  and  how  there  are  two  kinds 
of  Light  and  Love — a  true  and  a  falje. 

TTERE  is  an  honeft  queftion;  name- 
ly,  it  hath  been  faid  that  he  w^ho 
knoweth  God  and  loveth  Him  not,  will 
never  be  faved  by  his  knowledge;  the 
which  founds  as  if  we  might  know  God 
and  not  love  Him.  Yet  we  have  faid 
elfewhere,  that  where  God  is  known. 
He  is  alfo  loved,  and  whofoever  know- 
eth God  mufl:  love  Him.  How  may 
thefe  things  agree?  Here  ye  muft 
mark  one  thing.  We  have  fpoken  of 
two  Lights — a  True  and  a  Falfe.  So 
alfo  there  are  two  kinds  of  Love,  a 
True  and  a  Falfe.  And  each  kind  of 
Love  is  taught  or  guided  by  its  own 


146     Theologia  Germanica. 


kind  of  Light  or  Reafon.  Now,  the 
True  Light  maketh  True  Love,  and 
the  Fahe  Light  maketh  Falfe  Love; 
for  whatever  Light  deemeth  to  be  beft, 
fhe  deUvereth  unto  Love  as  the  beft, 
and  biddeth  her  love  it,  and  Love  obey- 
eth,  and  fulfiUeth  her  commands. 

Now,  as  we  have  faid,  the  Falfe 
Light  is  natural,  and  is  nature  herfelf. 
Therefore  every  property  belongeth 
unto  it  which  belongeth  unto  nature, 
fuch  as  the  Me,  the  Mine,  the  Self, 
and  the  like;  and  therefore  it  muft 
needs  be  deceived  in  itfelf  and  be  falfe; 
for  no  I,  Me,  or  Mine,  ever  came  to 
the  True  Light  or  knowledge  unde- 
ceived, fave  once  only;  to  wit,  in  God 
made  Man.  And  if  we  are  to  come  to 
the  knowledge  of  the  fimple  Truth,  all 
thefe  muft  depart  and  perifh.  And  in 
particular  it  belongeth  to  the  natural 
Light  that  it  would  fain  know  or  learn 
much,  if  it  were  poffible,  and  hath 
great  pleafure,  delight  and  glorying  in 


Theologia  Germanka.  147 


its  difcernment  and  knowledge;  and 
therefore  it  is  always  longing  to  know 
more  and  more,  and  never  cometh  to 
reft  and  fatisfaftion,  and  the  more  it 
learneth  and  knoweth,  the  more  doth 
it  delight  and  glory  therein.  And  when 
it  hath  come  fo  high,  that  it  thinketh 
to  know  all  things  and  to  be  above  all 
things,  it  ftandeth  on  its  higheft  pin- 
nacle of  delight  and  glory,  and  then  it 
holdeth  Knowledge  to  be  the  beft  and 
nobleft  of  all  things,  and  therefore  it 
teacheth  Love  to  love  knowledge  and 
difcernment  as  the  befl:  and  moft  excel- 
lent of  all  things.  Behold,  then  knowl- 
edge and  difcernment  come  to  be  more 
loved  than  that  which  is  difcerned,  for 
the  falfe  natural  Light  loveth  its  knowl- 
edge and  powers,  which  are  itfelf,  more 
than  that  which  is  known.  And  were 
it  poffible  that  this  falfe  natural  Light 
fliould  underftand  the  limple  Truth,  as 
it  is  in  God  and  in  truth,  it  ftill  would 
not  lofe  its  own  property,  that  is,  it 


148    Theologia  Germanica. 


would  not  depart  from  itfelf  and  its  own 
things.  Behold,  in  this  fenfe  there  is 
knowledge,  without  the  love  of  that 
which  is  or  may  be  known. 

Alfo  this  Light  rifeth  and  climbeth 
fo  high  that  it  vainly  thinketh  that  it 
knoweth  God  and  the  pure,  fimple 
Truth,  and  thus  it  loveth  itfelf  in  Him. 
And  it  is  true  that  God  can  be  known 
only  by  God.  Wherefore  as  this  Light 
vainly  thinketh  to  underftand  God,  it 
imagineth  itfelf  to  be  God,  and  giveth 
itfelf  out  to  be  God,  and  wifheth  to  be 
accounted  fo,  and  thinketh  itfelf  to  be 
above  all  things,  and  well  worthy  of  all 
things,  and  that  it  hath  a  right  to  all 
things,  and  hath  got  beyond  all  things, 
fuch  as  commandments,  laws,  and  vir- 
tue, and  even  beyond  Chrift  and  a  Chrif- 
tian  life,  and  fetteth  all  thefe  at  nought, 
for  it  doth  not  fet  up  to  be  Chrift,  but 
the  Eternal  God.  And  this  is  becaufe 
Chrift's  life  is  diftafteful  and  burden- 
fome  to  nature,  therefore  fhe  will  have 


Theohgia  Germanica.  149 


nothing  to  do  with  it;  but  to  be  God 
in  eternity  and  not  man,  or  to  be  Chrift 
as  he  was  after  his  refurredlion,  is  all 
eafy,  and  pleafant,  and  comfortable  to 
nature,  and  fo  fhe  holdeth  it  to  be  beft. 
Behold,  with  this  falfe  and  deluded  Love, 
fomething  maybe  known  without  being 
loved,  for  the  feeing  and  knowing  is 
more  loved  than  that  which  is  known. 

Further,  there  is  a  kind  of  learning 
which  is  called  knowledge;  to  wit, 
when,  through  hearfay,  or  reading,  or 
great  acquaintance  with  Scripture, 
fome  fancy  themfelves  to  know  much, 
and  call  it  knowledge,  and  fay,  "I 
know  this  or  that/'  And  if  you  afk, 
''How  doft  thou  know  it?"  they  an- 
fwer,  ''  I  have  read  it  in  the  Scriptures," 
and  the  like.  Behold,  this  they  call 
underftanding  and  knowing.  Yet  this 
is  not  knowledge,  but  belief,  and  many 
things  are  known  and  loved  and  feen 
only  with  this  fort  of  perceiving  and 
knowing. 


150    Theologia  Germanica. 

There  is  alfo  yet  another  kind  of 
Love,  which  is  efpecially  falfe,  to  wit, 
when  fomething  is  loved  for  the  fake 
of  a  reward,  as  when  juftice  is  loved 
not  for  the  fake  of  juftice,  but  to  obtain 
fomething  thereby,  and  fo  on.  And 
where  a  creature  loveth  other  creatures 
for  the  fake  of  fomething  that  they 
have,  or  loveth  God,  for  the  fake  of 
fomething  of  her  own,  it  is  all  falfe 
Love;  and  this  Love  belongeth  proper- 
ly to  nature,  for  nature  as  nature  can 
feel  and  know  no  other  love  than  this; 
for  if  ye  look  narrowly  into  it,  nature 
as  nature  loveth  nothing  befide  herfelf. 
On  this  wife  fomething  may  be  feen 
to  be  good  and  not  loved. 

But  true  Love  is  taught  and  guided 
by  the  true  Light  and  Reafon,  and  this 
true,  eternal  and  divine  Light  teacheth 
Love  to  love  nothing  but  the  one  true 
and  Perfed:  Good,  and  that  limply  for 
its  own  fake,  and  not  for  the  fake  of  a 
reward,  or  in  the  hope  of  obtaining  any- 


Theologia  Ger^nanica.  151 


thing,  but  fimply  for  the  love  of  Good- 
nefs,  becaufe  it  is  good  and  hath  a  right 
to  be  loved.  And  all  that  is  thus  feen 
by  the  help  of  the  True  Light  muft 
alfo  be  loved  of  the  True  Love.  Now, 
that  Perfedl  Good,  which  we  call  God, 
cannot  be  perceived  but  by  the  True 
Light;  therefore  He  muft  be  loved 
wherever  He  is  feen  or  made  known. 

CHAP.  XLIIL 

Whereby  we  may  know  a  Man  who  is  made 
a  partaker  of  the  divine  Nature^  and  what 
helongeth  unto  him;  and  further^  what  is 
the  token  of  a  Falfe  Lights  and  a  Falfe 
Free-Thinker, 

PURTHER  mark  ye;  that  when  the 
True  Love  and  True  Light  are  in 
a  man,  the  Perfed  Good  is  known  and 
loved  for  itfelf  and  as  itfelf;  and  yet 
not  fo  that  it  loveth  itfelf  of  itfelf  and 
as  itfelf,  but  the  one  True  and  Perfeft 
Good  can  and  will  love  nothing  elfe, 
q 


152    T'heologia  Germanica, 


in  fo  far  as  it  is  in  itfelf,  fave  the  one, 
true  Goodnefs.  Now  if  this  is  itfelf, 
it  muft  love  itfelf,  yet  not  as  itfelf  nor 
as  of  itfelf,  but  in  this  wife:  that  the 
One  true  Good  loveth  the  One  Perfed: 
Goodnefs,  and  the  One  Perfed:  Good- 
nefs is  loved  of  the  One,  true  and  Per- 
fect Good.  And  in  this  fenfe  that  fay- 
ing is  true,  that  "  God  loveth  not  Him- 
felf  as  Himfelf."  For  if  there  were 
aught  better  than  God,  God  would 
love  that,  and  not  Himfelf.  For  in 
this  True  Light  and  True  Love  there 
neither  is  nor  can.  remain  any  I,  Me, 
Mine,  Thou,  Thine,  and  the  like,  but 
that  Light  perceiveth  and  knoweththat 
there  is  a  Good  which  is  all  Good 
and  above  all  Good,  and  that  all  good 
things  are  of  one  Subftance  in  the  one 
Good,  and  that  without  that  One, 
there  is  no  good  thing.  And  therefore, 
where  this  Light  is,  the  man's  end  and 
aim  is  not  this  or  that.  Me  or  Thee,  or 
the  like,  but  only  the  One,  who  is 


Theologia  Germanica.  153 


neither  I  nor  Thou,  this  nor  that,  but 
is  above  all  I  and  Thou,  this  and  that; 
and  in  Him  all  Goodnefs  is  loved  as 
One  Good,  according  to  that  faying: 
'*A11  in  One  as  One,  and  One  in  All 
as  All,  and  One  and  all  Good,  is  loved 
through  the  One  in  One,  and  for  the 
fake  of  the  One,  for  the  love  that  man 
hath  to  the  One." 

Behold,  in  fuch  a  man  muft  all 
thought  of  Self,  all  felf-feeking,  felf- 
will,  and  what  cometh  thereof,  be  ut- 
terly loft  and  furrendered  and  given 
over  to  God,  except  in  fo  far  as  they 
are  neceffary  to  make  up  a  perfon. 
And  whatever  cometh  to  pafs  in  a  man 
who  is  truly  godlike,  whether  he  do  or 
fuffer,  all  is  done  in  this  Light  and  this 
Love,  and  from  the  fame,  through  the 
fame,  unto  the  fame  again.  And  in 
his  heart  there  is  a  content  and  a  quiet- 
nefs,  fo  that  he  doth  not  defire  to  know 
more  or  lefs,  to  have,  to  live,  to  die, 
to  be,  or  not  to  be,  or  anything  of  the 


1 54    Theologia  Ger?nanica, 


kind;  thefe  become  all  one  and  alike 
to  him,  and  he  complaineth  of  nothing 
but  of  fin  only.  And  what  fin  is,  we 
have  faid  already,  namely,  to  defire  or 
will  anything  otherwife  than  the  One 
Perfed:  Good  and  the  one  Eternal  Will, 
and  apart  from  and  contrary  to  them, 
or  to  wifh  to  have  a  will  of  one's  own. 
And  what  is  done  of  fin,  fuch  as  lies, 
fraud,  injuftice,  treachery,  and  all  iniqui- 
ty, in  fhort,  all  that  we  call  fin,  cometh 
hence,  that  man  hath  another  will 
than  God  and  the  True  Good ;  for  were 
there  no  will  but  the  One  Will,  no  fin 
could  ever  be  committed.  Therefore 
we  may  well  fay  that  all  felf-will  is  fin, 
and  there  is  no  fin  but  what  fpringeth 
therefrom.  And  this  is  the  only  thing 
which  a  truly  godlike  man  complaineth 
of;  but  to  him,  this  is  fuch  a  fore  pain 
and  grief,  that  he  would  die  a  hundred 
deaths  in  agony  and  fhame,  rather  than 
endure  it;  and  this  his  grief  muft:  laft 
until  death,  and  where  it  is  not,  there 


ia  Germanica.  155 


be  fure  that  the  man  is  not  truly  god- 
like, or  a  partaker  of  the  divine  nature. 

Now,  feeing  that  in  this  Light  and 
Love,  all  Good  is  loved  in  One  and  as 
One,  and  the  One  in  all  things,  and  in 
all  things  as  One  and  as  All,  therefore 
all  thofe  things  mufi:  be  loved  that 
rightly  are  of  good  report;  fuch  as  vir- 
tue, order,  feemlinefs,juflice,  truth, and 
the  like;  and  all  that  belongeth  to  God 
in  the  true  Good  and  is  His  own,  is  lov- 
ed and  praifed;  and  all  that  is  without 
this  Good,  and  contrary  to  it,  is  a  for- 
row  and  a  pain,  and  is  hated  as  fin,  for 
it  is  of  a  truth  fin.  And  he  who  liveth 
in  the  true  Light  and  true  Love,  hath 
the  bell:,  noblefl:,  and  worthieft  life  that 
ever  was  or  will  be,  and  therefore  it 
cannot  but  be  loved  and  praifed  above 
any  other  life.  This  life  was  and  is  in 
Chrifl:  to  perfedion,  elfe  he  were  not 
the  Chrift. 

And  the  love  wherewith  the  man 
loveth  this  noble  life  and  all  goodnefs. 


156    Theologia  Germanica. 


maketh,  that  all  which  he  is  called  up- 
on to  do,  or  fuffer,  or  pafs  through,  and 
which  muft  needs  be,  he  doeth  or  en- 
dureth  willingly  and  worthily,  however 
hard  it  may  be  to  nature.  Therefore 
faith  Chrift:  "My  yoke  is  eafy,  and 
my  burden  is  light."*  This  cometh 
of  the  love  which  loveth  this  admirable 
life.  This  we  may  fee  in  the  beloved 
Apoftles  and  Martyrs;  they  fuffered 
willingly  and  gladly  all  that  was  done 
unto  them,  and  never  afked  of  God  that 
their  fufFering  and  tortures  might  be 
made  fhorter,  or  lighter  or  fewer,  but 
only  that  they  might  remain  fteadfaft 
and  endure  to  the  end.  Of  a  truth 
all  that  is  the  fruit  of  divine  Love  in  a 
truly  godlike  man  is  fo  fimple,  plain 
and  ftraightforward,  that  he  can  never 
properly  give  an  account  of  it  by  writ- 
ing or  by  fpeech,  but  only  fay  that  fo 
it  is.  And  he  who  hath  it  not  doth 
not  even  believe  in  it;  how  then  can 
he  come  to  know  it? 

*  Matt.  xl.  30. 


T'heologia  Gennanica.  157 


On  the  other  hand,  the  hfe  of  the 
natural  man,  where  he  hath  a  lively, 
fubtle,  cunning  nature  is  fo  manifold 
and  complex,  and  feeketh  and  invent- 
eth  fo  many  turnings  and  windings  and 
falfehoods  for  its  own  ends,  and  that  fo 
continually,  that  this  alfo  is  neither  to 
be  uttered  nor  fet  forth. 

Now,  fince  all  falfehood  is  deceived, 
and  all  deception  beginneth  in  felf- 
deception,  fo  is  it  alfo  with  this  falfe 
Light  and  Life,  for  he  who  deceiveth 
is  alfo  deceived,  as  we  have  faid  before. 
And  in  this  falfe  Light  and  Life  is 
found  every  thing  that  belongeth  to  the 
Evil  Spirit  and  is  his,  infomuch  that 
they  cannot  be  difcerned  apart;  for  the 
falfe  Light  is  the  Evil  Spirit,  and  the 
Evil  Spirit  is  this  falfe  Light.  Hereby 
we  may  know  this.  For  even  as  the 
Evil  Spirit  thinketh  himfelf  to  be  God, 
or  would  fain  be  God,  or  be  thought 
to  be  God,  and  in  all  this  is  fo  utterly 
deceived  that  he  doth  not  think  him- 


158    'Theologia  Germanka. 


felf  to  be  deceived,  fo  is  it  alfo  with 
this  falfe  Light,  and  the  Love  and  Life 
that  is  thereof.  And  as  the  Devil 
would  fain  deceive  all  men,  and  draw 
them  to  himfelf  and  his  works,  and 
make  them  like  himfelf,  and  ufeth 
much  art  and  cunning  to  this  end,  fo 
is  it  alfo  with  this  falfe  Light;  and  as 
no  one  may  turn  the  Evil  Spirit  from 
his  own  way,  fo  no  one  can  turn  this 
deceived  and  deceitful  Light  from  its 
errors.  And  the  caufe  thereof  is,  th?' 
both  thefe  two,  the  Devil  and  Nature, 
vainly  think  that  they  are  not  deceived, 
and  that  it  ftandeth  quite  well  with 
them.  And  this  is  the  very  worft  and 
moft  mifchievous  delufion.  Thus  the 
Devil  and  Nature  are  one,  and  where 
nature  is  conquered  the  Devil  is  alfo 
conquered,  and  in  like  manner  where 
nature  is  not  conquered  the  Devil  is 
not  conquered.  Whether  as  touching 
the  outward  life  in  the  world,  or  the 
inward  life  of  the  fpirit,  this  falfe  Light 


Theologia  Germanica.  159 

continueth  in  its  ftate  of  blindnefs  and 
falfehood,  fo  that  it  is  both  deceived 
itself  and  deceiveth  others  with  it, 
wherefoever  it  may. 

From  what  hath  here  been  faid,  ye 
may  underftand  and  perceive  more 
than  hath  been  exprefllly  fet  forth. 
For  .whenever  we  fpeak  of  the  Adam, 
and  difobedience,  and  of  the  old  man, 
of  felf-feeking,  felf-will,  and  felf- 
ferving,  of  the  I,  the  Me,  and  the 
Mine,  nature,  falfehood,  the  Devil, 
fin;  it  is  all  one  and  the  fame  thing. 
Thefe  are  all  contrary  to  God,  and 
remain  without  God. 


i6o    Theologia  Germanka. 


CHAP.  XLIV. 

How  nothing  is  contrary  to  God  hut  Self -willy 
and  how  he  who  Jeeketh  his  own  Good  for 
his  own  fake^  findeth  it  not;  and  how  a 
Man  of  himjelf  neither  knoweth  nor  can  do 
any  good  thing, 

XJOW,  it  may  be  alked;  is  there 
ought  which  is  contrary  to  God 
and  the  true  Good?  I  fay.  No.  Like- 
wife  there  is  nothing  without  God,  ex- 
cept to  will  otherwife  than  is  willed  by 
the  Eternal  Will;  that  is,  contrary  to  the 
Eternal  Will.  Now  the  Eternal  Will 
willeth  that  nothing  be  willed  or  loved 
but  the  Eternal  Goodnefs.  And  where 
it  is  otherwife,  there  is  fomething  con- 
trary to  Him,  and  in  this  fenfe  it  is 
true  that  he  who  is  without  God  is  con- 
trary to  God;  but  in  truth  there  is  no 
Being  contrary  to  God  or  the  true  Good. 

We  muft  underftand  it  as  though 
God  faid:  "he  who  willeth  without 


Theologia  Germanica.  i6i 


Me,  or  willeth  not  what  I  will,  or 
otherwife  than  as  I  will,  he  willeth 
contrary  to  Me,  for  My  will  is  that  no 
one  fhould  will  otherwife  than  I,  and 
that  there  fhould  be  no  will  without 
Me,  and  without  My  will;  even  as 
without  me,  there  is  neither  Subllance, 
nor  Life,  nor  this,  nor  that,  fo  alfo  there 
fhould  be  no  Will  apart  from  Me,  and 
without  My  will."  And  even  as  in 
truth  all  beings  are  one  in  fubftance  in 
the  Perfed;  Being,  and  all  good  is  one 
in  the  One  Being,  and  fo  forth,  and 
cannot  exift  without  that  One,  fo  fhall 
all  wills  be  one  in  the  One  Perfedt  Will, 
and  there  fhall  be  no  will  apart  from 
that  One.  And  whatever  is  otherwife 
is  wrong,  and  contrary  to  God  and  His 
will,  and  therefore  it  is  fin.  Therefore 
all  will  apart  from  God's  will  (that  is, 
all  self-will,)  is  fin,  and  fo  is  all  that  is 
done  from  felf-will.  So  long  as  a  man 
feeketh  his  own  will  and  his  own  high- 
eft  Good,  becaufe  it  is  hisy  and  for  his 


1 62    Theologia  Germanica. 


own  fake,  he  will  never  find  it;  for  fo 
long  as  he  doeth  this,  he  is  not  feeking 
his  own  higheft  Good,  and  how  then 
fhould  he  find  it?  For  fo  long  as  he 
doeth  this,  he  feeketh  himfelf,  and 
dreameth  that  he  is  himfelf  the  highefi: 
Good;  and  feeing  that  he  is  not  the 
highefi  Good,  he  feeketh  not  the  high- 
eft  Good,  fo  long  as  he  feeketh  himfelf. 
But  whofoever  feeketh,  loveth,  and 
purfueth  Goodnefs  as  Goodnefs  and  for 
the  fake  of  Goodnefs,  and  maketh  that 
his  end,  for  nothing  but  the  love  of 
Goodnefs,  not  for  love  of  the  I,  Me, 
Mine,  Self,  and  the  like,  he  will  find 
the  higheft  Good,  for  he  feeketh  it 
aright,  and  they  who  feek  it  otherwife 
do  err.  And  truly  it  is  on  this  wife 
that  the  true  and  Perfedl  Goodnefs 
feeketh  and  loveth  and  purfueth  itfelf, 
and  therefore  it  findeth  itfelf. 

It  is  a  great  folly  when  a  man,  or 
any  creature  dreameth  that  he  knoweth 
or  can  accomplifh  aught  of  himfelf,  and 


Theologia  Germanica.  163 


above  all  when  he  dreameth  that  he 
knoweth  or  can  fulfil  any  good  thing, 
whereby  he  may  deferve  much  at  God's 
hands,  and  prevail  with  Him.  If  he 
underftood  rightly,  he  would  fee  that 
this  is  to  put  a  great  affront  upon  God. 
But  the  True  and  Perfedt  Goodnefs 
hath  compaffion  on  the  foolifh  fimple 
man  who  knoweth  no  better,  and  or- 
dereth  things  for  the  beft  for  him,  and 
giveth  him  as  much  of  the  good  things 
of  God  as  he  is  able  to  receive.  But 
as  we  have  faid  afore,  he  findeth  and 
receiveth  not  the  True  Good  fo  long 
as  he  remaineth  unchanged;  for  unlefs 
Self  and  Me  depart,  he  will  never  find 
or  receive  it. 


164    "Theologia  Germanka. 


CHAP.  XLV. 

How  that  where  there  is  a  Chriftian  Life, 
Chrift  dwellethy  and  how  ChriJVs  Life  is 
the  heft  and  m  jt  admirable  Life  that  ever 
hath  been  or  can  he, 

TIE  who  knoweth  and  underflandeth 
Chrifl's  life,  knoweth  and  under- 
ftandeth  Chrift  himfelf;  and  in  like 
manner,  he  who  underftandeth  not  his 
life,  doth  not  underftand  Chrift  himfelf. 
And  he  who  believeth  on  Chrift  be- 
lieveth  that  his  life  is  the  beft  and  no- 
bleft  life  that  can  be,  and  if  a  man  be- 
lieve not  this,  neither  doth  he  believe 
on  Chrift  himfelf.  And  in  fo  far  as  a 
man's  life  is  according  to  Chrift,  Chrift 
himfelf  dwelleth  in  him,  and  if  he  hath 
not  the  one  neither  hath  he  the  other. 
For  where  there  is  the  life  of  Chrift, 
there  is  Chrift  himfelf,  and  where  his 
life  is  not,  Chrift  is  not,  and  where  a 
man  hath  his  life,  he  may  fay  with  St. 


Theologia  Germanka.  165 


Paul,  live,  yet  not  I,  but  Chrift  liv- 
eth  in  me."*  And  this  is  the  nobleft 
and  beft  life;  for  in  him  who  hath  it, 
God  Himfelf  dwelleth,  with  all  good- 
nefs.  So  how  could  there  be  a  better 
life  ?  When  we  fpeak  of  obedience,  of 
the  new  man,  of  the  True  Light,  the 
True  Love,  or  the  life  of  Chrift,  it  is 
all  the  fame  thing,  and  where  one  of 
thefe  is,  there  are  they  all,  and  where 
one  is  wanting,  there  is  none  of  them, 
for  they  are  all  one  in  truth  and  fub- 
ftance.  And  w^hatever  may  bring  about 
that  new  birth  which  maketh  alive  in 
Chrift,  to  that  let  us  cleave  with  all  our 
might  and  to  nought  elfe;  and  let  us 
forfwear  and  flee  all  that  may  hinder  it. 
And  he  who  hath  received  this  life  in 
the  Holy  Sacrament,  hath  verily  and 
indeed  received  Chrift,  and  the  more 
of  that  life  he  hath  received,  the  more 
he  hath  received  of  Chrift,  and  the  lefs, 
the  lefs  of  Chrift. 

*  Galatians  ii.  ao. 


1 66    Theolo^ia  Germanica. 


CHAP.  XLVI. 

How  entire  Satis  fusion  and  true  Reft  are  to 
he  found  in  God  alone y  and  not  in  any  Crea- 
ture ;  and  how  he  who  will  he  ohedient  unto 
God,  mujt  aljo  he  ohedient.  to  the  Creatures, 
with  all  Qjiietnejs,  and  he  who  would  love 
God,  muJt  love  all  things  in  One. 

TT  is  faid,  that  he  who  is  content  to 
find  all  his  fatisfadlion  in  God,  hath 
enough;  and  this  is  true.  And  he  who 
findeth  fatisfadlion  in  aught  which  is 
this  and  that,  findeth  it  not  in  God; 
and  he  who  findeth  it  in  God,  findeth 
it  in  nothing  elfe,  but  in  that  which 
is  neither  this  nor  that,  but  is  All. 
For  God  is  One  and  muft  be  One, 
and  God  is  All  and  muft  be  All. 
And  now  what  is,  and  is  not  One,  is 
not  God;  and  what  is,  and  is  not  All 
and  above  All,  is  alfo  not  God,  fi^r  God 
is  One  and  above  One,  and  All  and 
above  All.    Now  he  who  findeth  full 


ia  Germanica.  167 


fatisfadlion  in  God,  receiveth  all  his 
fatisfadtion  from  One  fource,  and  from 
One  only,  as  One.  And  a  man  can- 
not find  all  fatisfadlion  in  God,  unlefs 
all  things  are  One  to  him,  and  One  is 
All,  and  fomething  and  nothing  are 
alike.*  But  where  it  fhould  be  thus, 
there  would  be  true  fatisfadtion,  and 
not  elfe. 

Therefore  alfo,  he  who  will  wholly 
commit  himfelf  unto  God  and  be  obe- 
dient to  Him,  muft  alfo  reiign  himfelf 
to  all  things,  and  be  willing  to  fuffer 
them,  without  refifting  or  defending 
himfelf  or  calling  for  fuccor.  And  he 
who  doth  not  thus  refign  or  fubmit  him- 
felf to  all  things  in  One  as  One,  doth 
not  refign  or  fubmit  himfelf  to  God. 
Let  us  look  at  Chrift.  And  he  who 
fhall  and  will  lie  ftill  under  God's  hand, 
muft  lie  ftill  under  all  things  in  One  as 
One,  and  in  no  wife  withftand  any  fuf- 

*  Literally  aught  and  nought,  tcht  und  nicht  j  but  aught 
means  any  thing,  the  idea  of  the  original  is  emphatically 
fomt  thing,  a  part,  not  the  whole. — Tr. 


1 68    Theolo^ia  Ger7nanica. 


fering.  Such  an  one  were  a  Chrift. 
And  he  who  fighteth  againft  afflidion 
and  refufeth  to  endure  it,  is  truly  fight- 
ing againft  God.  That  is  to  fay,  we 
may  not  withftand  any  creature  or  thing 
by  force  or  war,  either  in  will  or  works. 
But  we  may  indeed  without  fin  prevent 
afflidlion,  or  avoid  it,  or  flee  from  it. 

Now,  he  who  fhall  or  will  love  God, 
loveth  all  things  in  One  as  One  and 
All,  and  One  in  All  as  All  in  One;  and 
he  who  loveth  fomewhat,  this  or  that, 
otherwife  than  in  the  One,  and  for  the 
fake  of  the  One,  loveth  not  God,  for 
he  loveth  fomewhat  which  is  not  God. 
Therefore  he  loveth  it  more  than  God. 
Now  he  who  loveth  fomewhat  more 
than  God  or  along  with  God,  loveth 
not  God,  for  He  muft  be  and  will  be 
alone  loved,  and  verily  nothing  ought 
to  be  loved  but  God  alone.  And  when 
the  true  divine  Light  and  Love  dwell 
in  a  man,  he  loveth  nothing  elfe  but 
God  alone,  for  he  loveth  God  as  Good- 


"Theolo^ia  Germanica*  i 


nefs,  and  for  the  fake  of  Goodnefs,  and 
all  Goodnefs  as  One,  and  One  as  All; 
for,  in  truth,  All  is  One  and  One  is 
All  in  God. 

CHAP.  XLVIi. 

A  §ueftion ;  Whether^  if  we  ought  to  love  all 
1  kings y  we  ought  to  love  Sin  alfo? 

COME  may  put  a  queftion  here  and 
fay:  **If  we  are  to  love  all  things, 
muft  we  then  love  fin  too?"  I  anfwer : 
No.  When  I  fay  "all  things,"  I  mean 
all  Good;  and  all  that  is,  is  good,  in  fo 
far  as  it  hath  Being.  The  Devil  is  good 
in  fo  far  as  he  hath  Being.  In  this  fenfe 
nothing  is  evil,  or  not  good.  But  fin 
is  to  will,  defire,  or  love  otherwife  than 
as  God  doth.  And  Willing  is  not  Be- 
ing, therefore  it  is  not  good.  Nothing 
is  good  except  in  fo  far  as  it  is  in  God 
and  with  God.  Now  all  things  have 
their  Being  in  God,  and  more  truly  in 
God  than  in  themfelves,  and  therefore 
all  things  are  good  in  fo  far  as  they  have 


I  JO    T'heologia  Germanica, 

a  Being,  and  if  there  were  aught  that 
had  not  its  Being  in  God,  it  would  not 
be  good.  Now  behold,  the  willing  or 
defiring  which  is  contrary  to  God  is  not 
in  God;  for  God  cannot  will  or  defire 
anything  contrary  to  Himfelf,  or  other- 
wife  than  Himfelf.  Therefore  it  is  evil 
or  not  good,  and  is  merely  nought. 

God  loveth  alfo  works,  but  not  all 
works.  Which  then?  Such  as  are 
done  from  the  teaching  and  guidance 
of  the  True  Light  and  the  True  Love; 
and  what  is  done  from  thefe  and  in 
thefe,  is  done  in  fpirit  and  in  truth,  and 
what  is  thereof,  is  God's,  and  pleafeth 
Him  well.  But  what  is  done  of  the 
falfe  Light  and  falfe  Love,  is  all  of  the 
Wicked  One;  and  efpecially  what  hap- 
peneth,  is  done  or  left  undone,  wrought 
or  fuffered  from  any  other  will,  or  de- 
fire,  or  love,  than  God's  will,  or  defire, 
or  love.  This  is,  and  cometh  to  pafs, 
without  God  and  contrary  to  God,  and 
is  utterly  contrary  to  good  works,  and 
is  altogether  fin. 


Theologia  Germanica.  171 


CHAP.  XLVIII. 

How  we  mujt  believe  certain  Things  of  God*s 
Truth  beforehand^  ere  we  can  come  to  a  true 
Knowledge  and  Experience  thereof. 

r^HRIST  faid,  ^'He  that  believeth 
not,"  or  will  not  or  cannot  believe, 
fhall  be  damned."  It  is  fo  of  a  truth ; 
for  a  man,  while  he  is  in  this  prefent 
time,  hath  not  knowledge;  and  he  can- 
not attain  unto  it,unlefs  he  first  believe. 
And  he  who  would  know  before  he 
believeth,  cometh  never  to  true  know- 
ledge. We  fpeak  not  here  of  the  arti- 
cles of  the  Chriftian  faith,  for  every- 
one believeth  them,  and  they  are  com- 
mon to  every  Chriftian  man,  whether 
he  be  finful  or  faved,  good  or  wicked, 
and  they  muft  be  believed  in  the  firft 
place,  for  without  that,  one  cannotcome 
to  know  them.  But  we  are  fpeaking 
of  a  certain  Truth  which  it  is  poffible 
to  know  by  experience,  but  which  ye 


172    Theologia  Germanica. 

muft  believe  in,  before  that  ye  know  it 
by  experience,  elfe  ye  will  never  come 
to  know  it  truly.  This  is  the  faith  of 
which  Chrift  fpeaketh  in  that  faying 
of  His. 

CHAP.  XLIX. 

Of  Self- will ^  and  how  Lucifer  and  Adam  fell 
away  from  God  through  Self-will, 

TT  hath  been  faid,  that  there  is  of 
nothing  fo  much  in  hell  as  of  felf- 
will.  The  which  is  true,  for  there  is 
nothing  elfe  there  than  self-will,  and 
if  there  were  no  felf-will  there  would 
be  no  Devil  and  no  hell.  When  it  is 
faid  that  Lucifer  fell  from  Heaven,  and 
turned  away  from  God  and  the  like, 
it  meaneth  nothing  elfe  than  that  he 
would  have  his  own  will,  and  would 
not  be  at  one  with  the  Eternal  Will. 
So  was  it  likewife  with  Adam  in  Para- 
dife.  And  when  we  fay  Self-will,  we 
mean,  to  will  otherwife  than  as  the 
One  and  Eternal  Will  of  God  willeth. 


Theologia  Germanica.  173 


CHAP.  L. 

How  this  prejent  Time  is  a  Paradije  and 
outer  Court  of  Heaven,  and  how  therein 
there  is  only  one  Tree  forbidden,  that  is, 
Self-wilL 

^HAT  is  Paradife?  All  things 
that  are;  for  all  are  goodly  and 
pleafant,  and  therefore  may  fitly  be 
called  a  Paradife.  It  is  faid  alfo  that 
Paradife  is  an  outer  court  of  Heaven. 
Even  fo  this  world  is  verily  an  outer 
court  of  the  Eternal,  or  of  Eternity, 
and  fpecially  whatever  in  Time,  or  any 
temporal  things  or  creatures,  manfefi:- 
eth  or  remindeth  us  of  God  or  Eter- 
nity; for  the  creatures  are  a  guide  and 
a  path  unto  God  and  Eternity,  Thus 
this  world  is  an  outer  court  of  Eternity, 
and  therefore  it  may  well  be  called  a 
Paradife,  for  it  is  fuch  in  truth.  And 
in  this  Paradife,  all  things  are  lawful, 
fave  one  tree  and  the  fruits  thereof. 


174    Theologia  Germa?2ica. 


That  is  to  fay:  of  all  things  that  are, 
nothing  is  forbidden  and  nothing  is 
contrary  to  God  but  one  thing  only: 
that  is,  Self-will,  or  to  will  otherwife 
than  as  the  Eternal  Will  would  have  it. 
Remember  this.  For  God  faith  to 
Adam,  that  is,  to  every  man,  What- 
ever thou  art,  or  doeft,  or  leaveft  un- 
done, or  whatever  cometh  to  pafs,  is 
all  lawful  and  not  forbidden  if  it  be  not 
done  from  or  according  to  thy  will,  but 
for  the  fake  of  and  according  to  My  will. 
But  all  that  is  done  from  thine  own 
will  is  contrary  to  the  Eternal  Will." 

It  is  not  that  every  work  which  is 
thus  wrought  is  in  itfelf  contrary  to 
the  Eternal  Will,  but  in  fo  far  as  it  is 
wrought  from  a  different  will,  or 
otherwife  than  from  the  Eternal  and 
Divine  Will. 


Theologia  Germanica.  175 


CHAP.  LI. 

Wherefore  God  hath  created  Self-will^  f^^^^g 
that  it  is  fo  contrary  to  Him. 

'^TOW  fome  may  afk:  *^fince  this 
tree,  to  wit.  Self-will,  is  fo  con- 
trary to  God  and  the  Eternal  Will, 
wherefore  hath  God  created  it,  and  fet 
it  in  Paradife?" 

Anfwer:  whatever  man  or  creature 
defireth  to  dive  into  or  underftand  the 
fecret  counfel  and  will  of  God,  fo  that 
he  would  fain  know  wherefore  God 
doeth  this,  or  doeth  not  that,  and  the 
like,  defireth  the  fame  as  Adam  and  the 
Devil.  For  this  defire  is  feldom  from 
aught  elfe  than  that  the  man  taketh  de- 
light in  knowing,  and  glorieth  therein, 
and  this  is  fheer  pride.  And  fo  long  as 
this  defire  lafieth,  the  truth  will  never  be 
known,  and  the  man  is  even  as  Adam 
or  the  Devil.  A  truly  humble  and 
enlightened  man  doth  not  defire  of  God 


176    Theologia  Germanka. 


that  He  fhould  reveal  His  fecrets  unto 
him,  nqr  alk  wherefore  God  doeth  this 
or  that,  or  hindereth  or  alloweth  fuch 
a  thing,  and  fo  forth;  but  he  defireth 
only  to  know  how  he  may  pleafe  God, 
and  become  as  nought  in  himfelf,  hav- 
ing no  will,  and  that  the  Eternal  Will 
may  live  in  him,  and  have  full  poffeffion 
of  him,  undiflurbed  by  any  other  will, 
and  how  its  due  may  be  rendered  to  the 
Eternal  Will,  by  him  and  through  him. 

However,  there  is  yet  another  an- 
fwer  to  this  queflion,  for  we  may  fay: 
the  moft  noble  and  delightful  gift  that 
is  beftowed  on  any  creature  is  that  of 
perceiving,  or  Reafon,  and  Will.  And 
thefe  two  are  fo  bound  together,  that 
where  the  one  is,  there  the  other  is  alfo. 
And  if  it  were  not  for  thefe  two  gifts, 
there  would  be  no  reafonable  creatures, 
but  only  brutes  and  brutifhnefs;  and 
that  were  a  great  lofs,  for  God  would 
never  have  His  due,  and  behold  Him- 
felf and  his  attributes  manifefled  in 


Theologia  Germanica,  177 


deeds  and  works;  the  which  ought  to 
be,  and  is  neceflary  to  perfection. 
Now,  behold,  Perception  and  Reafon 
are  created  and  beftowed  along  with 
will,  to  the  intent  that  they  may  inftrudl 
the  will  and  alfo  themfelves,  that  neither 
perception  nor  will  is  of  itfelf,  nor  is 
nor  ought  to  be  unto  itfelf,  nor  ought 
to  feek  or  obey  itfelf.  Neither  fhall 
they  turn  themfelves  to  their  own  ad- 
vantage, nor  make  ufe  of  themfelves  to 
their  own  ends  and  purpofes;  for  His 
they  are  from  Whom  they  do  proceed, 
and  unto  Him  fhall  they  fubmit,  and 
flow  back  into  Him,  and  become  nought 
in  themfelves,  that  is,  in  theirfelfifhnefs. 

But  here  ye  muft  confider  more  par- 
ticularly, fomewhat  touching  the  Will. 
There  is  an  Eternal  Will,  which  is  in 
God  a  firft  principle  and  fubftance, 
apart  from  all  works  and  efl^ed:s,*  and 
the  fame  will  is  in  Man,  or  the  creature, 
willing  certain  things,  and  bringing 

*  Or  realization,  wirklichkeit. 


178    Theologia  Germanica. 


them  to  pafs.  For  it  belongeth  unto 
the  Will  and  is  its  property  that  it  fhall 
will  fomething.  What  elfe  is  it  for? 
For  it  were  in  vain,  unlefs  it  had  fome 
work  to  do,  and  this  it  cannot  have 
without  the  creature.  Therefore  there 
muft  be  creatures,  and  God  will  have 
them,  to  the  end  that  the  Will  may- 
be put  in  exercife  by  their  means,  and 
work,  which  in  God  is  and  muft  be 
without  work.  Therefore  the  will  in 
the  creature,  which  we  call  a  created 
will,  is  as  truly  God*s  as  the  Eternal 
Will,  and  is  not  of  the  creature. 

And  now,  fince  God  cannot  bring 
His  will  into  exercife,  working  and 
caufing  changes,  without  the  creature, 
therefore  it  pleafeth  Him  to  do  fo  in 
and  with  the  creature.  Therefore  the 
will  is  not  given  to  be  exerted  by  the 
creature,  but  only  by  God,  who  hath  a 
right  to  work  out  His  own  will  by 
means  of  the  will  which  is  in  man,  and 
yet  is  God's.    And  in  whatever  man 


ia  Germanic  a,  179 


or  creature  it  fhould  be  purely  and 
wholly  thus,  the  will  would  be  exerted 
not  by  the  man  but  by  God,  and  thus 
it  would  not  be  felf-will,  and  the  man 
would  not  will  otherwife  than  as  God 
willeth;  for  God  Himfelf  would  move 
the  will  and  not  man.  And  thus  the 
will  would  be  one  with  the  Eternal 
Will,  and  flow  out  into  it,  though  the 
man  would  fliill  keep  his  fenfe  of  liking 
and  difliking,  pleafure  and  pain,  and 
the  like.  For  wherever  the  will  is 
exerted,  there  muft  be  a  fenfe  of  liking 
and  difliking;  for  if  things  go  accord- 
ing to  his  will,  the  man  liketh  it,  and 
if  they  do  not,  he  difliketh  it,  and  this 
liking  and  difliking  are  not  of  the  man's 
producing,  but  of  God's.  [For  what- 
ever is  the  fource  of  the  will,  is  the 
fource  of  thefe  alfo.*]  Now  the  will 
Cometh  not  of  man  but  of  God,  there- 
fore liking  and  difliking  come  from  Him 

*  This  fentence  is  found  in  Luther's  edition,  but  not  in 
that  bafed  on  the  Wurtzburg  Manufcript. 


i8o    Theologia  Germanica. 

alfo.  But  nothing  is  complained  of, 
fave  only  what  is  contrary  to  God.  So 
alfo  there  is  no  joy  but  of  God  alone, 
and  that  which  is  His  and  belongeth 
unto  Him.  And  as  it  is  with  the  will, 
fo  is  it  alfo  with  perception,  reafon, 
gifts,  love,  and  all  the  powers  of  man; 
they  are  all  of  God,  and  not  of  man. 
And  wherever  the  will  fhould  be  alto- 
gether furrendered  to  God,  the  reft 
would  of  a  certainty  be  furrendered  like- 
wife,  and  God  would  have  His  right,  and 
the  man's  will  would  not  be  his  own. 
Behold,  therefore  hath  God  created  the 
will,  but  not  that  it  fhould  be  felf-will. 

Now  Cometh  the  Devil  or  Adam, 
that  is  to  fay,  falfe  nature,  and  taketh 
this  will  unto  itfelf  and  maketh  the 
fame  its  own,  and  ufeth  it  for  itfelf  and 
its  own  ends.  And  this  is  the  mifchief 
and  wrong,  and  the  bite  that  Adam 
made  in  the  apple,  which  is  forbidden, 
becaufe  it  is  contrary  to  God,  And 
therefore,  fo  long  as  there  is  any  felf- 


'Theoloo-ia  Germantca.  i8i 


will,  there  will  never  be  true  love,  true 
peace,  true  reft.  This  we  fee  both  in 
man  and  in  the  Devil.  And  there  will 
never  be  true  bleffednefs  either  in  time 
or  eternity,  where  this  felf-will  is  work- 
ing, that  is  to  fay,  where  man  taketh 
the  will  unto  himfelf  and  maketh  it  his 
own.  And  if  it  be  not  furrendered  in 
this  prefent  time,  but  carried  over  into 
eternity,  it  may  be  forefeen  that  it  will 
never  be  furrendered,  and  then  of  a 
truth  there  will  never  be  content,  nor 
reft,  nor  bleftednefs;  as  we  may  fee  by 
the  Devil.  If  there  were  no  reafon  or 
will  in  the  creatures,  God  were,  and 
muft  remain  for  ever,  unknown,  un- 
loved, unpraifed  and  unhonored,  and  all 
the  creatures  would  be  worth  nothing, 
and  were  of  no  avail  to  God.  Behold 
thus  the  queftion  which  was  put  to  us 
is  anfwered.*  And  if  there  were 
any,  who,  by  much  writing  (which 
yet  is  brief  and  profitable  in  God,) 

*  Namely,  why  God  had  created  the  will. 


1 82     Theologia  Germanica. 


might  be  led  to  amend  their  ways,  this 
were  indeed  well-pleafing  unto  God. 

That  which  is  free,  none  may  call 
his  own,  and  he  who  maketh  it  his  own, 
committeth  a  wrong.  Now,  in  the 
whole  realm  of  freedom,  nothing  is  fo 
free  as  the  will,  and  he  who  maketh  it 
his  own,  and  fuffereth  it  not  to  remain 
in  its  excellent  freedom,  and  free  no- 
bility, and  in  its  free  exercife,  doth  a 
grievous  wrong.  This  is  what  is  done 
by  the  Devil  and  Adam  and  all  their 
followers.  But  he  who  leaveth  the  will 
in  its  noble  freedom  doeth  right,  and 
this  doth  Chrift  with  all  his  followers. 
And  whofo  robbeth  the  will  of  its  no- 
ble freedom  and  maketh  it  his  own, 
mufi:  of  neceffity  as  his  reward,  be  laden 
with  cares  and  troubles,  with  difcon- 
tent,  difquiet,  unreft,  and  all  manner 
of  wretchednefs,  and  this  will  remain 
and  endure  in  time  and  in  eternity. 
But  he  who  leaveth  the  will  in  its  free- 
dom, hath  content,  peace,  reft  and  bleff- 


"Theologia  Germanica.  183 


ednefs  in  time  and  in  eternity.  But  he 
who  leaveth  the  will  in  its  freedom, 
hath  content,  peace,  reft  and  bleffed- 
nefs  in  time  and  in  eternity.  Where- 
ever  there  is  a  man  in  whom  the  will 
is  not  enflaved,  but  continueth  noble 
and  free,  there  is  a  true  freeman  not  in 
bondage  to  any,  one  of  thofe  to  whom 
Chrift  faid:  **the  truth  fhall  make  you 
free;"  and  immediately  after,  he  faith: 
"if  the  Son  fhall  make  you  free,  ye 
fhall  be  free  indeed."* 

Furthermore,  mark  ye  that  where 
the  will  enjoyeth  its  freedom,  it  hath 
its  proper  work,  that  is,  willing.  And 
where  it  choofeth  whatever  it  will 
unhindered,  it  always  choofeth  in  all 
things  what  is  noblefl  and  beft,  and  all 
that  is  not  noble  and  good  it  hateth, 
and  findeth  to  be  a  grief  and  offence 
unto  it.  And  the  more  free  and  un- 
hindered the  will  is,  the  more  is  it  pain- 
ed by  evil,  injuftice,  iniquity,  and  in 

*  John  vili.  31-36. 
S 


184    Theologia  Germantca. 


fhort  all  manner  of  wickednefs  and  fin, 
and  the  more  do  they  grieve  and  afflidt 
it.  This  we  fee  in  Chrift,  whofe  will 
was  the  pureft  and  the  leaft  fettered, 
or  brought  into  bondage  of  any  man's 
that  ever  lived.  So  like  wife  was  Chrift's 
human  nature  the  moft  free  and  fingle 
of  all  creatures,  and  yet  felt  the  deepeft 
grief,  pain,  and  indignation  at  fin  that 
any  creature  ever  felt.  But  when  men 
claim  freedom  for  their  own,  fo  as  to 
feel  no  forrow  or  indignation  at  fin  and 
what  is  contrary  to  God,  but  fay  that 
we  muft  heed  nothing  and  care  for 
nothing,  but  be,  in  this  prefent  time, 
as  Chrift  was  after  his  refurredlion,  and 
the  like; — this  is  no  true  and  divine 
freedom  fpringing  from  the  true  divine 
Light,  but  a  natural,  unrighteous,  falfe, 
and  deceitful  freedom,  fpringing  from 
a  natural,  falfe  and  deluded  light 

Were  there  no  felf-will,  there  would 
be  alfo  no  ownerfhip.  In  heaven  there 
is  no  ownerfiiip;  hence  there  are  found 


Theologia  Germanica.  185 


content,  true  peace  and  all  bleffednefs. 
If  any  one  there  took  upon  him  to  call 
anything  his  own,  he  would  ftraight- 
w^ay  be  thruft  out  into  hell,  and  would 
become  an  evil  fpirit.  But  in  hell 
every  one  will  have  felf-will,  therefore 
there  is  all  manner  of  miferyandwretch- 
ednefs.  So  is  it  alfo  here  on  earth. 
But  if  there  were  one  in  hell  who  fhould 
get  quit  of  his  felf-will  and  call  nothing 
his  own,  he  would  come  out  of  hell  into 
heaven.  Now,  in  this  prefent  time, 
man  is  fet  between  heaven  and  hell, 
and  may  turn  himfelf  towards  which 
he  will.  For  the  more  he  hath  of 
ownerfhip,  the  more  he  hath  of  hell 
and  mifery;  and  the  lefs  of  felf-will, 
the  lefs  of  hell,  and  the  nearer  he  is  to 
the  Kingdom  of  Heaven.  And  could 
a  man,  while  on  earth,  be  wholly  quit 
of  self-will  and  ownerfhip,  and  ftand 
up  free  and  at  large  in  God's  true  light, 
and  continue  therein,  he  would  be  fure 
of  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven.    He  who 


1 86    Theolo^ia  Germanica. 


hath  fomething,  or  feeketh  or  longeth 
to  have  fomething  of  his  own,  is  him- 
felf  a  flave,  and  he  who  hath  nothing 
of  his  own,  nor  feeketh  nor  longeth 
thereafter,  is  free  and  at  large,  and  in 
bondage  to  none. 

All  that  hath  here  been  faid,  Chrift 
,  taught  in  words  and  fulfilled  in  works 
\  for  three  and  thirty  years,  and  he  teach- 
1  eth  it  to  us  very  briefly  when  he  faith : 
Follow  me."    But  he  who  will  fol- 
low him  muft  forfake  all  things,  for 
he  renounced  all  things  fo  utterly  as  no 
man  elfe  hath  ever  done.  Moreover, 
he  who  will  come  after  him  muft  take 
up  the  crofs,  and  the  crofs  is  nothing 
elfe  than  Chrift's  life,  for  that  is  a  bit- 
ter crofs  to  nature.  Therefore  he  faith: 
"And  he  that  taketh  not  his  crofs,  and 
folio  weth  after  me,  is  not  worthy  of  me, 
and  cannot  be  my  difciple."  *    But  na- 
ture in  her  falfe  freedom,  weeneth  fhe 
hath  forfaken  all  things,  yet  fhe  w^ill 

*  Matt.  X.  38,  and  Luke  xlv.  27. 


Theologia  Gennanica.  187 

have  none  of  the  crofs,  and  faith  fhe 
hath  had  enough  of  it  already,  and 
needeth  it  no  longer,  and  thus  fhe  is 
deceived.  For  had  fhe  ever  tafted  the 
crofs  fhe  w^ould  never  part  with  it  again. 
He  that  believeth  on  Chrift  mufl  be- 
lieve all  that  is  here  v^ritten. 


CHAP.  LIL 

How  we  muft  take  thqfe  two  Sayings  of  Chrift: 
^^No  man  cometh  unto  the  Father y  hut  by 
me,''  and  ^^No  man  cometh  unto  me,  except 
the  Father  which  hath  Jent  me  draw  him'' 

/^HRIST  faith:  "no  man  cometh 
unto  the  Father  but  by  me."* 
Now  mark  how  we  muft  come  unto 
the  Father  through  Chrift.  The  man 
fhall  fet  a  watch  over  himfelf  and  all 
that  belongeth  to  him  within  and  with- 
out, and  fhall  fo  diredl,  govern,  and 
guard  his  heart,  as  far  as  in  him  lieth, 
that  neither  will  nor  defire,  love  nor 
longing,  opinion  nor  thought,  fliall 

*  John  xiv.  6. 


1 88     Theologia  Germanica. 


fpring  up  in  his  heart,  or  have  any 
abiding  place  in  him,  fave  fuch  as  are 
meet  for  God  and  would  befeem  Him 
well,  if  God  Himfelf  were  made  man. 
And  whenever  he  becometh  aware  of 
any  thought  or  intent  rifing  up  within 
him  that  doth  not  belong  to  God  and 
were  not  meet  for  Him,  he  mull:  refift 
it  and  root  it  out  as  thoroughly  and  as 
fpeedily  as  he  may. 

By  this  rule  he  muft  order  his  out- 
ward behaviour,  whether  he  work  or 
refrain,  fpeak  or  keep  filence,  wake  or 
fleep,  go  or  ftand  ftill.  In  fhort:  in 
all  his  ways  and  walks,  whether  as 
touching  his  own  bufinefs,  or  his  deal- 
ings with  other  men,  he  muft  keep  his 
heart  with  all  diligence,  left  he  do 
aught,  or  turn  afide  to  aught,  or  fuffer 
aught  to  fpring  up  or  dwell  within  him 
or  about  him,  or  left  anything  be  done 
in  him  or  through  him,  otherwife  than 
were  meet  for  God,  and  would  be  pof- 
fible  and  feemly  if  God  Himfelf  were 
verily  made  Man. 


ia  Germanica.  189 


Behold!  he,  in  whom  it  fhould  be 
thus,  whatever  he  had  within,  or  did 
without,  would  be  all  of  God,  and  the 
man  would  be  in  his  life  a  follower  of 
Chrift,  more  truly  than  we  can  under- 
ftand  or  fet  forth.  And  he  who  led 
\  fuch  a  life  would  go  in  and  out  through 
Chrift;  for  he  would  be  a  follower  of 
Chrift:  therefore  alfo  he  would  come 
with  Chrift  and  through  Chrift  unto 
the  Father.  And  he  would  be  alfo  a 
fervant  of  Chrift,  for  he  who  ccmeth 
after  him  is  his  fervant,  as  he  himfelf 
alfo  faith:  *'If  any  man  ferve  me,  let 
him  follow  me;  and  w^here  I  am,  there 
fliall  alfo  my  fervant  be."*  And  he 
who  is  thus  a  fervant  and  follower  of 
Chrift,  Cometh  to  that  place  where 
Chrift  himfelf  is;  that  is,  unto  the 
Father.  As  Chrift  himfelf  faith :  "  Fa- 
ther, I  will  that  they  alfo,  whom  thou  \ 
haft  given  me,  be  with  me  where  I 
am."-f*    Behold,  he  who  walketh  in 

•  John  xli.  26.  -j-  John  xvii.  24. 


190    Theologia  Germanica, 

this  path,  **enteieth  in  by  the  door  into 
the  fl:ieep-fold/'  that  is,  into  eternal 
life ;  and  to  him  the  porter  openeth 
but  he  who  entereth  in  by  fome  other 
way,  or  vainly  thinketh  that  he  would 
or  can  come  to  the  Father  or  to  eter- 
nal bleffednefs  otherwife  than  through 
Chrift,  is  deceived;  for  he  is  not  in  the 
right  Way,  nor  entereth  in  by  the  right 
Door.  Therefore  to  him  the  porter 
openeth  not,  for  he  is  a  thief  and  a 
murderer,  as  Chrift  faith. 

Now,  behold  and  mark,  whether 
one  can  be  in  the  right  Way,  and  enter 
in  by  the  right  Door,  if  one  be  living 
in  lawlefs  freedom  or  licenfe,  or  difre- 
gard  of  ordinances,  virtue  or  vice,  order 
or  diforder,  and  the  like.  Such  liberty 
we  do  not  find  in  Chrift,  neither  is  it 
in  any  of  his  true  followers. 

*  John  X,  I,  3.  ' 


ia  German  tea .  191 


CHAP.  LIII. 

Confidereth  that  other  faying  of  Chrifty  ^^No 
Man  can  come  unto  me^  except  the  Father 
which  hath  fent  me  draw  him,'' 

/^HRIST  hath  alfo  faid:  ''No  man 
Cometh  unto  me,  except  the  Fa- 
ther which  hath  fent  me  draw  him."* 
Now  mark:  by  the  Father,  I  under- 
ftand  the  Perfedt,  Simple  Good,  which 
is  All  and  above  All,  and  without 
which  and  befides  which  there  is  no  true 
Subftance,  nor  true  Good,  and  without 
which  no  good  work  ever  was  or  will 
be  done.  And  in  that  it  is  All,  it  muft 
be  in  All  and  above  All.  And  it  can- 
not be  any  one  of  thofe  things  which 
the  creatures,  as  creatures,  can  com- 
prehend or  underftand.  For  whatever 
the  creature,  as  creature  (that  is,  in  her 
creature  kind),  can  conceive  of  and  un- 
derftand, is  fomething,  this  or  that,  and 

*  John  vi.  44. 


192    Theologia  Germanica. 

therefore  is  fome  fort  of  creature.  And 
now  if  the  Simple  Perfecit  Good  were 
fomewhat,  this  or  that,  which  the  crea- 
ture underftandeth,  it  would  not  be  the 
All,  nor  the  Orriy  One,  and  therefore 
not  Perfed:.  Therefore  alfo  it  cannot 
be  named,  feeing  that  is  none  of  all  the, 
things  which  the  creature  as  creature 
can  comprehend,  know,  conceive,  or 
name.  Now  behold,  when  this  Per- 
fed: Good,  which  is  unnameable,  flow- 
eth  into  a  Perfon  able  to  bring  forth, 
and  bringeth  forth  the  Only-begotten 
Son  in  that  Perfon,  and  itfelf  in  Him, 
we  call  it  the  Father. 

Now  mark  how  the  Father  draweth 
men  unto  Chrift.  When  fomewhat 
of  this  Perfect  Good  is  difcovered  and 
revealed  within  the  foul  of  man,  as 
it  were  in  a  glance  or  flafh,  the  foul 
conceiveth  a  longing  to  approach  unto 
the  Perfedl  Goodnefs,  and  unite  herfelf 
with  the  Father.  And  the  flronger 
this  yearning  groweth,  the  more  is  re- 


Theologia  Germanica.  193 

vealed  unto  her;  and  the  more  is  re- 
vealed unto  her,  the  more  is  fhe  drawn 
toward  the  Father,  and  her  defire 
quickened.  Thus  is  the  foul  drawn 
and  quickened  into  a  union  with  the 
Eternal  Goodnefs.  And  this  is  the 
drawing  of  the  Father,  and  thus  the 
foul  is  taught  of  Him  who  draweth  her 
unto  Himfelf,  that  fhe  cannot  enter 
into  a  union  with  Him  except  fhe 
come  unto  Him  by  the  life  of  Chrift. 
Behold!  now  fhe  putteth  on  that  life 
of  which  I  have  fpoken  afore. 

Now  fee  the  meaning  of  thefe  two 
fayings  of  Chrift's.  The  one,  no  man 
Cometh  unto  the  Father  but  by  me;" 
that  is,  through  my  life,  as  hath  been 
fet  forth.  The  other  faying,  "no  man 
Cometh  unto  me  except  the  Father 
draw  him;"  that  is,  he  doth  not  take 
my  life  upon  him  and  come  after  me, 
except  he  be  moved  and  drawn  of  my 
Father;  that  is,  of  the  Simple  and  Per- 
fed:  Good,  of  which  St.  Paul  faith: 


194    Theologia  Germanica. 


when  that  which  is  perfedl  is  come, 
then  that  which  is  in  part  fhall  be  done 
away."  That  is  to  fay;  in  whatever 
foul  this  Perfect  Good  is  known,  felt 
and  tafted,  fo  far  as  may  be  in  this 
prefent  time,  to  that  foul  all  created 
things  are  as  nought  compared  with  this 
Perfed:  One,  as  in  truth  they  are;  for 
befide  or  without  the  Perfed;  One,  is 
neither  true  Good  nor  true  Subftance. 
Whofoever  then  hath,  or  knoweth,  or 
loveth,  the  Perfeft  One,  hath  and 
knoweth  all  goodnefs.  What  more 
then  doth  he  want,  or  what  is  all  that 
*'is  in  part"  to  him,  feeing  that  all  the 
parts  are  united  in  the  Perfeft,  in  One 
Subftance. 

What  hath  here  been  faid,  concern- 
eth  the  outward  life,  and  is  a  good  way 
or  accefs  unto  the  true  inward  life;  but 
the  inward  life  beginneth  after  this. 
When  a  man  hath  tailed  that  which  is 
perfedl  as  far  as  is  poffible  in  this  pref- 
ent time,  all  created  things  and  even 


Theologia  Germanica.  195 

himfelf  become  as  nought  to  him. 
And  when  he  perceiveth  of  a  truth 
that  the  Perfect  One  is  All  and  above 
All,  he  needs  mufl  follow  after  Him, 
and  afcribe  all  that  is  good,  fuch  as 
Subftance,  Life,  Knowledge,  Reafon, 
Power,  and  the  like,  unto  Him  alone 
and  to  no  creature.  And  hence  fol- 
loweth  that  the  man  claimeth  for  his 
own  neither  Subfliance,  Life,  Knowl- 
edge, nor  power.  Doing  nor  Refraining, 
nor  any  thing  that  we  can  call  good. 
And  thus  the  man  becometh  fo  poor, 
that  he  is  nought  in  himfelf,  and  fo 
are  alfo  all  things  unto  him  which  are 
fomewhat,  that  is,  all  created  things. 
And  then  there  beginneth  in  him  a  true 
inward  life,  wherein  from  hencefor- 
ward, God  Himfelf  dwelleth  in  the 
man,  fo  that  nothing  is  left  in  him  but 
what  is  God's  or  of  God,  and  nothing 
is  left  which  taketh  anything  unto  it- 
felf.  And  thus  God  Himfelf,  that  is, 
the  One  Eternal  Perfedinefs  alone  is. 


196    Theologia  Germanica. 


liveth,  knoweth,  worketh,  loveth,will- 
eth,  doeth  and  refraineth  in  the  man. 
And  thus,  of  a  truth,  it  fhould  be,  and 
where  it  is  not  fo,  the  man  hath  yet 
far  to  travel,  and  things  are  not  alto- 
gether right  with  him. 

Furthermore,  it  is  a  good  way  and 
accefs  unto  this  life,  to  feel  always  that 
what  is  beft  is  deareft,  and  always  to 
prefer  the  beft,  and  to  cleave  to  it,  and 
unite  onefelf  to  it.  Firft:  in  the  crea- 
tures. But  what  is  beft  in  the  Cica- 
tures?  Be  aflureu:  that,  in  which  the 
Eternal  Perfed:  Goodnefs  and  what  is 
thereof,  that  is,  all  which  belongeth 
thereunto,  moft  brightly  fhineth  and 
worketh,  and  is  beft  known  and  loved. 
But  what  is  that  which  is  of  God,  and 
belongeth  unto  Him?  I  anfwer :  what- 
ever with  juftice  and  truth  we  do,  or 
might  call  good. 

When  therefore  among  the  creatures 
the  man  cleaveth  to  that  which  is  the 
beft  that  he  can  perceive,  and  keepeth 


Theologia  Germanica.  197 


fteadfaftly  to  that,  in  finglenefs  of  heart, 
he  Cometh  afterward  to  what  is  better 
and  better,  until,  at  laft,  he  findeth  and 
tafteth  that  the  Eternal  Good  is  a  Per- 
fed:  Good,  without  meafure  and  num- 
ber above  all  created  good.  Now  if 
what  is  beft  is  to  be  deareft  to  us,  and 
^  we  are  to  follow  after  it,  the  One  Eter- 
nal Good  muft  be  loved  above  all  and 
alone,  and  we  muft  cleave  to  Him 
alone,  and  unite  ourfelves  with  Him 
as  clofely  as  we  may.  And  now  if  we 
are  to  afcribe  all  goodnefs  to  the  One 
Eternal  Good,  as  of  right  and  truth  we 
ought,  fo  mufl  we  alfo  of  right  and 
truth  afcribe  unto  Him  the  beginning, 
middle,  and  end  of  our  courfe,  fo  that 
nothing  remain  to  man  or  the  creature. 
So  it  (hould  be  of  a  truth,  let  men  fay 
what  they  will. 

Now  on  this  wife  we  fhould  attain 
unto  a  true  inward  life.  And  what 
then  further  would  happen  to  the  foul, 
or  would  be  revealed  unto  her,  and 


198    Theologia  Germanica. 


what  her  Hfe  would  be  henceforward, 
none  can  declare  or  guefs.  For  it  is 
that  which  hath  never  been  uttered  by 
man's  lips,  nor  hath  it  entered  into  the 
heart  of  man  to  conceive. 

In  this  our  long  difcourfe,  are  brief- 
ly comprehended  thofe  things  which 
ought  of  right  and  truth  to  be  fulfilled : 
to  wit,  that  man  fhould  claim  nothing"** 
for  his  own,  nor  crave,  will,  love,  or 
intend  anything  but  God  alone,  and 
what  is  like  unto  Him,  that  is  to  fay, 
the  One,  Eternal,  Perfedt  Goodnefs. 

But  if  it  be  not  thus  with  a  man,  and 
he  take,  will,  purpofe,  or  crave,  fome- 
what  for  himfelf,  this  or  that,  whatever 
it  maybe,  befide  or  other  than  the  Eter- 
nal and  Perfedl  Goodnefs  which  is  God 
Himfelf,  this  is  all  too  much  and  a  great 
injury,  [and  hindereth  the  man  from  a 
perfedl  life;  wherefore  he  can  never  reach 
the  Perfed:  Good,  unlefs  he  firft  forfake 
all  things  and  himfelf  firft  of  all.  For 
no  man  can  ferve  two  mafters,  who  are 


T'heologia  Germanica,  199 


contrary  the  one  to  the  other;  he  who 
will  have  the  one,  mufi:  let  the  other 
go.  Therefore  if  the  Creator  fhall 
enter  in,  the  creature  muft  depart.  Of 
this  be  affured.] 

CHAP.  LIV. 

How  a  Man  fJiall  not  feek  his  own^  either  in 
Things /piritualor  natural,  but  the  Honour 
of  God  only ;  and  how  he  muft  enter  in  by 
the  right  Door,  to  wit,  by  Chrift,  into 
Eternal  Life, 
TF  a  man  may  attain  thereunto,  to  be 
unto  God  as  his  hand  is  to  a  man,  let 
him  be  therewith  content,  and  not  feek 
further.     [This  is  my  faithful  counfel, 
and  here  I  take  my  fland.    That  is  to 
fay,  let  him  flrive  and  wreftle  with  all 
his  might  to  obey  God  and  His  com- 
mandments fo  thoroughly  at  all  times 
and  in  all  things,  that  in  him  there  be 
nothing,  fpiritual  or  natural,  which 
oppofeth  God;  and  that  his  whole  foul 
and  body  with  all  their  members  may 
t 


200     Theolo^ia  Germanica. 


ftand  ready  and  willing  for  that  to  which 
God  hath  created  them;  as  ready  and 
willing  as  his  hand  is  to  a  man,  which 
is  fo  wholly  in  his  power,  that  in  the 
twinkling  of  an  eye,  he  movethand  turn- 
eth  it  whither  he  will.  And  when  we 
find  it  otherwife  with  us,  we  muft  give 
our  whole  diligence  to  amend  our  ftate; 
and  this  from  love  and  not  from  fear,  and 
in  all  things  whatfoever,feek and  intend 
the  glory  and  praife  of  God  alone.  We 
muft  not  feek  our  own,  either  in  things 
fpiritual  or  in  things  natural.]  It  muft 
needs  be  thus,  if  it  is  to  ftand  well  with 
us.  And  every  creature  oweth  this  of 
right  and  truth  unto  God,  and  efpeci- 
ally  man  [to  whom,  by  the  ordinance 
of  God,  all  creatures  are  made  fubjedl, 
and  are  fervants,  that  he  may  be  fub- 
jedl  to  and  ferve  God  only.] 

Further,  when  a  man  hath  come  fo 
far,  and  climbed  fo  high,  that  he  think- 
eth  and  weeneth  he  ftandeth  fure,  let 
him  beware  left  the  Devil  ftrew  afhes 


Theologia  Gennanica.  201 

and  his  own  bad  feed  on  his  heart,  and 
nature  feek  and  take  her  own  comfort, 
reft,  peace,  and  delight  in  the  profperity 
of  his  foul,  and  he  fall  into  afoolifh,law- 
lefs  freedom  and  licentioufnefs,  which  is 
altogether  alien  to,  and  at  war  with  a 
true  life  in  God.  And  this  will  happen 
to  that  man  who  hath  not  entered,  or 
refufeth  to  enter  in  by  the  right  Way 
and  the  right  Door  (which  is  Chrift,  as 
we  have  faid),  and  imagineth  that  he 
would  or  could  come  by  any  other  way 
to  the  higheft  truth.  He  may  perhaps 
dream  that  he  hath  attained  thereunto, 
but  verily  he  is  in  error. 

And  our  witnefs  is  Chrift,  who  de- 
clareth :  Verily,  verily,  I  fay  unto  you, 
Hethatentereth  not  by  the  door  into  the 
fheepfold,  but  climbeth  up  fome  other 
way,  the  fame  is  a  thief  and  a  robber.'' 
[A  thief,  for  he  robbeth  God  of  His  ho- 
nour and  glory,  which  belong  to  God 
alone;  he  taketh  them  unto  himfelf,and 
feeketh  and  purpofeth  himfelf.  A  mur- 
derer, for  he  flayeth  his  own  foul,  and 


2  02     Theologia  Germanica. 

taketh  away  her  life  which  is  God.  For 
as  the  body  Kveth  by  the  foul,  even  fo 
the  foul  liveth  by  God.  Moreover,  he 
murdereth  all  thofo  who  follow  him,  by 
his  dodlrine  and  example.  For  Chrift 
faith:  "I  came  down  from-  heaven, 
not  to  do  mine  own  will,  but  the  will 
of  Him  that  fent  me."*  And  again: 
"Why  call  ye  me  Lord,  Lordl-f-"  as  if 
he  would  fay,  it  will  avail  you  nothing 
to  Eternal  Life.  And  again:  "Not 
every  one  that  faith  unto  me.  Lord, 
Lord,  fhall  enter  into  the  Kingdom  of 
Heaven;  but  he  that  doeth  the  will  of 
my  Father  which  is  in  Heaven. "J  But 
he  faith  alfo:  "If  thou  wilt  enter  into 
life,  keep  the  commandments. "§  And 
what  are  the  commandments?  "To 
love  the  Lord  thy  God  with  all  thy 
heart,  with  all  thy  foul,  and  with  all 
thy  ftrength,  and  with  all  thy  mind; 
and  to  love  thy  neighbour  as  thyfelf ''|| 

*  John  vi.  38.  -j"  Luke  vi.  46. 

J  Matt.  vii.  21.  §  Matt.  xix.  17. 

II  Luke  oc.  27. 


ia  Germanka.  203 


And  in  thefe  two  commandments  all 
others  are  briefly  comprehended. 

There  is  nothing  more  precious  to 
God,  or  more  profitable  to  man,  than 
humble  obedience.  In  his  eyes,  one 
good  work,  wrought  from  true  obe- 
dience, is  of  more  value  than  a  hundred 
thoufand  wrought  from  self-will,  con- 
trary to  obedience.  Therefore  he  who 
haththisobedience  need  notdread  Him, 
for  fuch  a  man  is  in  the  right  way,  and 
following  after  Chrift.] 

That  we  may  thus  deny  ourfelves,  and 
forfakeand  renounceall  thingsfor God's 
fake,  and  give  up  our  own  wills,  and 
die  unto  ourfelves,  and  live  unto  God 
alone  and  to  His  will,  may  He  help  us, 
who  gave  up  His  will  to  His  Heavenly 
Father — Jefus  Chrift  our  Lord  to  whom 
be  bleiTing  for  ever  and  ever.  Amen. 


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